too many cooks spoil the broth

too many cooks spoil the broth

proverb If too many people try to control, influence, or work on something, the final product will be worse as a result. A: "We've got my boss, his boss, the assistant manager, a freelance consultant, and the head of IT all involved in this project, and it's turning into a complete disaster!" B: "Well, too many cooks spoil the broth, after all!"
See also: broth, cook, many, spoil
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

too many cooks spoil the broth

Too many persons involved in managing an activity can ruin it, as in Without a conductor, every player had an idea for how the music should go-too many cooks spoil the broth . This expression alludes to each of many cooks adding something to a soup, which finally tastes awful. It was already considered a proverb in 1575 (by George Gascoigne in The Life of P. Care).
See also: broth, cook, many, spoil
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

too many cooks spoil the broth

BRITISH, AMERICAN or

too many cooks in the kitchen

AMERICAN
If you say too many cooks spoil the broth or too many cooks in the kitchen, you mean that a plan or project fails because there are too many people working on it at the same time. Documentation was meant to be written and edited by small teams at best — too many cooks spoil the broth. Declaring that `there are simply too many cooks in the kitchen', the Senator has proposed the creation of a single committee to handle this year's legislation. Note: People often use the shorter phrase too many cooks. So far nothing had worked. One problem was that there were simply too many cooks.
See also: broth, cook, many, spoil
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

too many cooks spoil the broth

if too many people are involved in a task or activity, it will not be done well. proverb
1997 Times Too many cooks spoil the broth and at Apple there is now the equivalent of Marco Pierre White , Anton Mosimann and Nico Ladenis .
See also: broth, cook, many, spoil
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

too many cooks spoil the ˈbroth

(saying) if too many people try to do something it will not be done well or properly
Broth is a kind of thick soup.
See also: broth, cook, many, spoil
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

too many cooks spoil the broth

Too many individuals involved in a decision or project reduce its chances of success. The analogy to each cook adding a bit of this or that to the soup was drawn so long ago that in 1575 George Gascoigne already was referring to the expression as a proverb. There are many variants, such as too many generals lose the battle and too many commanders (or steersmen) sink the ship, but too many cooks is the principal survivor of this long-standing cliché.
See also: broth, cook, many, spoil
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • too many cooks spoil the soup
  • too many cooks spoil the stew
  • boss man
  • boss lady
  • boss
  • think for
  • think for (oneself)
  • say over and over (again)
  • aggro
References in periodicals archive
"Too many cooks spoil the broth, and there are hundreds of cooks".
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Using the Lemout & Hauspie Simply Translating program which translates English to French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish and from those languages back to English, I picked six common aphorisms to test, converting each first to the foreign language and then back to English: A stitch in time saves nine Many hands make light work Absence makes the heart grown fonder A rolling stone gathers no moss Out of sight, out of mind Too many cooks spoil the broth
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The form of such statements may be either imperative, as in the famous command "know thyself," or indicative, as in the English adage "Too many cooks spoil the broth." Gnomes are found in the literature of many cultures; among the best-known examples are those contained in the biblical book of Proverbs.
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"Too many cooks spoil the broth." This is certainly a risk in pogramming efforts.
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'Too many cooks spoil the broth', goes the old saying.
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There is the saying that too many cooks spoil the broth. In the APC today, there are more than 20 governorship aspirants, with the possibility of more still joining.
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Maybe the old adage is true that "too many cooks spoil the broth".
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Too many cooks spoil the broth, as the saying goes.
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The football board was supposed to be a committee style management system, but as the old saying goes, too many cooks spoil the broth.
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May 22-Jun 21 GEMINI TOO many cooks spoil the broth, they say, which is as good an argument against cannibalism as I've come across.
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As the saying goes, too many cooks spoil the broth, though the recipe for "Waiting for the Sea" was flawed before pen left paper.
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It's true what they say - too many cooks spoil the broth.
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The chairman is probably worried that he's made one or two mistakes along the line and may be feels he needs a bit of help, but sometimes too many cooks spoil the broth, don't they?"
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