too much of a good thing en · X
Meanings
-
Something enjoyable or beneficial which, nevertheless, becomes bothersome or harmful in large quantities or over an extended period of time.
"That you won't either," said Muriel, "Two's company; seven's too much of a good thing."
c. 1922, D. H. Lawrence, “Tickets, Please”, in England, My England:"If I must say what I think," continued Mr. Rushworth, "in my opinion it is very disagreeable to be always rehearsing. It is having too much of a good thing. I am not so fond of acting as I was at first.[…]"
1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter I, in Mansfield Park: […], volume II, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 26:"I like a woman with spirit," said Cradell. / "Oh, so do I. But one may have too much of a good thing."
1864, Anthony Trollope, chapter IV, in The Small House at Allington:Household chemicals are about as personal as modern science gets. We are surrounded by hundreds of them every day — they're in our furnishings, our cosmetics, our vinyl floor tiles and plastic baby bottles. […] Are they too much of a good thing?
2003 July 20, James Geary, “Risky business”, in Time:
Relateds
too much pudding will choke a dog
Synonyms
toujours perdrix · embarrassment of riches
Translations (11)
fi liian paljon hyvää (Translations) · ga is maith an tsáith an mheasarthacht (Translations) · pl za dużo dobrego (Translations) · nl te veel van het goede (Translations) · ja 過ぎたるは猶及ばざるがごとし (Translations) · pl co za dużo, to niezdrowo (Translations) · hu jóból is megárt a sok (Translations) · de des Guten zu viel (Translations) · cmn 好的東西太多了也會厭倦 /好的东西太多了也会厌倦 (Translations) · az azı qərar, çoxu zərər (Translations) · de zuviel des Guten (Translations)