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bite off
4 Jul 2011, 7:47 pm
* New page ==English==
===Verb===
{{en-verb|inf=[[to]] [[bite]] [[off]]|bites off|biting off|bit off|bitten off}}
# {{transitive|idiomatic|sometimes followed by {{term|on}}}} To [[accept]] or [[commit]] oneself to a [[task]], [[project]], [[notion]], or [[responsibility]], especially one which presents [[challenge]]s.
#* '''1967''' July 28, "[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,837113,00.html Actresses: Hayley at 21]," ''Time'':
#*: In between what she called the "goody-good" or "frilly-knickers" Hollywood films, she '''bit off''' some more demanding parts back home.
#* '''1988''' Dec. 29, Steve Lohr, "[http://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/29/business/risk-inherited-at-finnish-concern.html Risk Inherited at Finnish Concern]," ''New York Times'' <small>(retrieved 4 July 2011)</small>:
#*: "And for the next couple of years, with Nokia having '''bitten off''' so much, Vuorilehto is the right guy for the task they face."
#* '''2006''' Jan. 4, Natalie Pace, "[http://www.forbes.com/2006/01/04/myspace-dewolfe-anderson-cx_np_0104myspace.html Q&A: MySpace Founders Chris DeWolfe And Tom Anderson]," ''Forbes'' <small>(retrieved 4 July 2011)</small>:
#*: We have set a plan that we believe everyone at News Corp. will '''bite off''' on.
#* '''2009''' Oct. 28, "[http://www.newsweek.com/2009/10/28/trigger-unhappy.html Healthcare reform: Trigger Unhappy]," ''Newsweek'' <small>(retrieved 4 July 2011)</small>:
#*: They think it's politically too much for the government to '''bite off''' right now.
# {{transitive|idiomatic}} To [[acquire]], especially in an [[abrupt]] or [[forceful]] manner.
#* '''1997''', Anthony Spaeth, "[http://www.time.com/time/hongkong/special/twain3.html And Here the Twain Shall Meet]," ''Time'', Special Issue—Hong Kong 1997:
#*: To thicken that buffer zone Britain joined other powers in '''biting off''' larger chunks of China.
#* '''2007''' March 26, Laurie J. Flynn, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/technology/26game.html Maker of Mobile Games Brings Line to BlackBerry]," ''New York Times'' <small>(retrieved 4 July 2011)</small>:
#*: For R.I.M. to '''bite off''' just a tiny piece of that market would help it grow considerably.
====Synonyms====
* {{sense|accept or commit oneself to a task, etc}} [[accept]], [[attempt]], [[tackle]], [[undertake]]
* {{sense|acquire, especially abruptly or forcefully}} [[grab]]
====Derived terms====
* [[bite off more than one can chew]] |
