Boil the ocean [v.]

To attempt an overly ambitious or all-encompassing task. “The client is living a pipe dream; when are they going to stop trying to boil the ocean?”

I think that’s an important question and it’s kind of a boil-the-ocean question. So I hope you’re sitting down because I’ll probably run through a bit of a stream of consciousness here…

Dave Burritt, President & CEO
United States Steel Corp.
Q3 2022 earnings call

We tried to boil the ocean all at once. Now we’re being very targeted and have business owners for each one of these investments.

Mark Fields, Interim CEO & Director
Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.
Q4 2021 earnings call

Up next: Cadence