Idiom idiom
drown the miller
Meaning
To put too much water in something; overdilute.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Don't drown the miller when you make the tea.”
“The recipe calls for a thick sauce, so be careful not to drown the miller.”
“By adding excessive water to the mixture, the novice cook managed to drown the miller and ruined the consistency of the soup.”
Origin
Originally from the phrase drown the miller’s thumb, meaning to go over the specified mark.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026