boil the ocean
to try do something which is impossible
TRANSLATION
boil the ocean = sich übernehmen, sich zu viel zumuten --- GOOGLE INDEX boil the ocean: approximately 323,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Don’t try to BOIL THE OCEAN. Stick to what you know best and try to own it. Too often, marketers try to position their brands as experts on everything under the sun.
The Economist Group
The Economist Group
Did you
know?
boil the ocean
idiom
- to try to do something that is very difficult or impossible, especially when starting something
(Macmillan Dictionary)
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According to Investopedia, to boil the ocean is when an overly ambitious company or individual tries to take on an impossible task. It can also mean that you are inefficient and hesitant before beginning a task because it seems too large to handle. Forbes defines this more simply as "waste time".
The expression is common in business jargon, and particularly in project management. The scope of the project is its extent or range. But there is a common tendency for project requirements to steadily increase, known as "scope creep".
So in the language of project management, "boil the ocean" is when the scope of a project increases until it is practically impossible to accomplish as originally planned.
Some people believe that an American humorist, Will Rogers (1879-1935), created the expression. Rogers is said to have suggested boiling the ocean as a way to deal with German U-boats during World War I: "You just boil the oceans. The U-boats will turn pink and pop to the surface. Then, you just pick them off."
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SYNONYMS
waste time, attempt the impossible, futile effort, overextend, try to do too much
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"It's time to tell the project team to stop boiling the ocean and focus on meeting the upcoming deadline."
idiom
- to try to do something that is very difficult or impossible, especially when starting something
(Macmillan Dictionary)
---
According to Investopedia, to boil the ocean is when an overly ambitious company or individual tries to take on an impossible task. It can also mean that you are inefficient and hesitant before beginning a task because it seems too large to handle. Forbes defines this more simply as "waste time".
The expression is common in business jargon, and particularly in project management. The scope of the project is its extent or range. But there is a common tendency for project requirements to steadily increase, known as "scope creep".
So in the language of project management, "boil the ocean" is when the scope of a project increases until it is practically impossible to accomplish as originally planned.
Some people believe that an American humorist, Will Rogers (1879-1935), created the expression. Rogers is said to have suggested boiling the ocean as a way to deal with German U-boats during World War I: "You just boil the oceans. The U-boats will turn pink and pop to the surface. Then, you just pick them off."
---
SYNONYMS
waste time, attempt the impossible, futile effort, overextend, try to do too much
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"It's time to tell the project team to stop boiling the ocean and focus on meeting the upcoming deadline."
