Have a lot on your plate means being very busy with tasks, duties and worries: I have a lot on my plate this week. It's not just about work: a move, a baby or a renovation all go on the plate too. It's a great polite way to turn down one more task.
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have a lot / enough / too much on my / your / her / our plate
- I have a lot on my plate this week, so I cannot organize another event.
- With the move and the new job, she has enough on her plate already.
- He took one task off my plate by booking the room.
What changed
First versionI have much on my plate with two projects finishing on Friday.
RevisionI have a lot on my plate with two projects finishing on Friday.
Much and a lot both mean a large amount, so much looks like a safe choice. But in everyday positive sentences much sounds stiff, and the idiom is fixed: a lot on my plate. Use a lot, and the phrase sounds natural.
Bite off more than you can chew means taking on more than you can handle, and it's your own fault. Have a lot on your plate carries no blame: you're simply busy. Take something off someone's plate means taking over some of their tasks.
Your turn
Use the idiom about responsibilities: She has too much ___ her plate to take another assignment.
Show the answer
on — Tasks sit on a plate, so on. In my plate isn't said in English.
Politely turn down a new task and explain what you're busy with. Use have a lot on your plate.
I have a lot on my plate with the move and the training course, so I can't lead the trip.
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