embarrassment of riches

Idioms & Phrases

embarrassment of riches

An overabundance of something, too much of a good thing, as in All four of them have their own cars but there's no room in the drivewayan embarrassment of riches. This term originated in 1738 as John Ozell's translation of a French play, L'Embarras des richesses (1726).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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