English · Idiom Candidate

irons in the fire

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Having multiple projects or tasks underway at the same time

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Đang thực hiện nhiều dự án hoặc nhiệm vụ cùng một lúc

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: hot metal tools in a fire for shaping

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

She has several irons in the fire, including a new business and a book

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

a man is said to have too many IRONS IN THE FIRE when he turns his attention to too many occupations or enterprises at once.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

làm nhiều việc cùng lúc

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Topics: Fire Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “irons in the fire” mean?

Having multiple projects or tasks underway at the same time Literally: hot metal tools in a fire for shaping

Is “irons in the fire” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.