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REFERENCE

a bridge too far

idiom
Meaning

A step or action that is too ambitious; an act of overreaching.


Origin

first recorded 20th c.

In reference to Operation Market Garden, Allied airborne military operation of 1944. General Roy E. Urquhart, in his 1958 memoir Arnhem, ascribed the phrase to general Frederick “Boy” Browning. It was popularized by being chosen as the title of Cornelius Ryan’s 1974 book on Operation Market Garden and the subsequent 1977 epic war film.

Examples
SIMPLE

Asking for a pay raise now is a bridge too far.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager wanted us to finish the project in two days, but that was a bridge too far for the team.

COMPLEX

While the company hoped to expand into three new countries simultaneously, the board eventually concluded that such rapid growth was a bridge too far.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    as far as one knows

    To the best of one's knowledge, as far as someone knows or possible information to be gathered about the topic, subject, aspect, or situation.

  2. 02

    bridge over troubled waters

    Someone or something that provides support, comfort, and a means to overcome difficult times.

  3. 03

    bridge the gap

    To serve as or create a connection between disconnected or disparate things.

  4. 04

    burn that bridge when one comes to it

    To anticipate dealing with a problem or situation either by acting in a manner that alienates or cuts ties with others, or merely with the expectation of encountering trouble.

  5. 05

    cross that bridge when one comes to it

    To deal with a problem or situation only if and when it arises.

  6. 06

    far and away

    By a large degree or margin; greatly (used before comparative and superlative adjectives).

  7. 07

    far be it

    A disclaimer stating that something should not come to pass, or that a person would never do or think a certain thing.

  8. 08

    far cry

    A long distance, in terms of dissimilarity or difference.

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