have eyes bigger than one's stomach

English

Alternative forms

• have eyes bigger than one's belly (UK)
• one's eyes are bigger than one's stomach

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Verb

have eyes bigger than one's stomach (third-person singular simple present has eyes bigger than one's stomach, present participle having eyes bigger than one's stomach, simple past and past participle had eyes bigger than one's stomach)

1. (idiomatic) To take more food on one's plate than one can eat; to be greedy.

   He has eyes bigger than his stomach.

   You have eyes bigger than your stomach.

2. (idiomatic) To want more than one can handle.

Translations

take more food than one can eat

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 眼大肚子小 (yǎn dà dùzi xiǎo)

• Dutch: ogen groter dan je maag hebben
• Finnish: olla isommat silmät kuin vatsa
• French: avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre (fr)
• German: die Augen sind größer als der Magen (the eyes are bigger than the stomach)
• Hungarian: nagyobb a szeme, mint a szája ("his/her eyes are bigger than his/her mouth"; also with gyomra, stomach, instead of szája, mouth)
• Italian: avere gli occhi più grandi del proprio stomaco
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maltese: għandu għajnejh akbar minn żaqqu
• Norwegian: øynene er større enn magen, magen blir fortere mett enn øynene (the stomach loses its appetite before the eyes do)
• Portuguese: ter os olhos maiores que a boca, ter mais olhos que barriga (have more eyes than belly)
• Russian: одни́ глаза́ не сы́ты (odní glazá ne sýty)
• Ukrainian: очима все з’їв би (očyma vse zʺjiv by)
• Vietnamese: con mắt lớn hơn cái bụng, no bụng đói con mắt, mắt to hơn bụng

See also

• bite off more than one can chew