Meanings
- idiomaticpluralplural onlyToo many tasks, responsibilities, or details to cope with or manage successfully; a state of being overwhelmed.
[Prime Minister] Harold Macmillan frequently complained of having to keep too many balls in the air at the same time.
1989 July 27, Ian Gilmour, "Holding all the strings" (review of Macmillan, Vol. II by Alistair Horne), London Review of Books (UK) (retrieved 25 May 2014)3 more examples
Some analysts say the mediocre performance of the asset-allocation funds may result from the massive amounts of data their managers must sort through: central bank policies, business cycles, stock values, inflation rates and sector performance in various markets, both here and abroad. They may simply have "too many balls in the air at one time," said Anthony J. Ogorek.
1991 June 23, Carole Gould, “Mutual Funds: Drawbacks to Asset Allocation”, in New York Times, retrieved 25 May 2014If you get too many balls in the air, or are changing your focus too often, as one might argue President Clinton did in his first term, people have a hard time staying with you, much less following your leadership.
2004 October 7, Anthony B. Robinson, “Bush message is a broken record”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 25 May 2014"He has too many balls in the air. He can't stay on top of initiatives from people who report to him. He's a terrible manager."
2005 May 18, Liz Ryan, “No Sale? Don't Blame Your Boss”, in Businessweek, retrieved 25 May 2014Synonyms: irons in the fire, on one's plate
Synonyms & antonyms
nounToo many tasks, responsibilities, or details to cope with or manage successfully; a state of being overwhelmed.
Origin
An allusion to the situation of a juggler who is attempting to juggle an excessive number of objects.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish for mange bolde i luften
- for mange bolde i luftentoo many tasks, responsibilities, or details to cope with or manage successfully
Finnish liian monta rautaa tulessa
- liian monta rautaa tulessatoo many tasks, responsibilities, or details to cope with or manage successfully
German Die Augen waren größer als der Mund
- Die Augen waren größer als der Mundtoo many tasks, responsibilities, or details to cope with or manage successfully
Italian troppa carne sul fuoco
- troppa carne sul fuocotoo many tasks, responsibilities, or details to cope with or manage successfully
Lithuanian akys didesnės už pilvą
- akys didesnės už pilvątoo many tasks, responsibilities, or details to cope with or manage successfully
Norwegian Bokmål for mange baller i luften
- for mange baller i luftentoo many tasks, responsibilities, or details to cope with or manage successfully
Polish zbyt duża liczba rzeczy do zrobienia
- zbyt duża liczba rzeczy do zrobieniatoo many tasks, responsibilities, or details to cope with or manage successfully
Cite this entry
too many balls in the air. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/too%20many%20balls%20in%20the%20air
“too many balls in the air.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/too%20many%20balls%20in%20the%20air. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “too many balls in the air,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/too%20many%20balls%20in%20the%20air.
Source: too many balls in the air on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.