/aˈvere ˈmolta ˈkarne al ˈfwɔko/ lit. ‘have a lot of meat on the fire’
Italian idiom, everyday. To have a lot of work or problems to deal with at once.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Italian speaker.
How do people use Avere molta carne al fuoco
?
Everyday Italian for juggling lots of projects or problems. The quantity word does the work: “molta carne al fuoco” just means you’re busy, while “troppa carne al fuoco” is a warning that you’ve taken on more than you can handle. The warning shows up a lot as advice to yourself or others: “non mettere troppa carne al fuoco”.
Also said mettere troppa carne al fuoco, c’è troppa carne al fuoco
Avere molta carne al fuoco
in real sentences
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Non voglio mettere troppa carne al fuoco.
I don’t want to spread myself too thin.
Tatoeba, sentence by Nuel, translation by Nuel, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Se c’è troppa carne al fuoco in un tempo troppo breve, non si può determinare una buona strategia.
If there are too many irons in the fire in too short a time, you can’t settle on a good strategy.
Tatoeba, sentence by hitori37, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Avere molta carne al fuoco
come from?
The picture is a cook with too many pieces of meat on the grill at once, unable to watch them all. The Treccani dictionary records it as “mettere troppa carne al fuoco”, meaning to do too many things at the same time, and English Wiktionary notes it usually comes with “troppa” or “molta”. We found no date for its first use.
Mistakes learners make with Avere molta carne al fuoco
Translating “a lot on my plate” word for word as “molto nel mio piatto”. Italian puts the meat on the fire, not on the plate, and the plate version just sounds like you’re hungry.
Other Italian idioms like Avere molta carne al fuoco
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