What’s the meaning of “a bridge too far”?

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The idiom “a bridge too far” is typically used to refer to something that is too ambitious or drastic to be realistic, or to describe an action that is very complicated and so challenging to perform that it is likely to fail. It can be used in a variety of settings to describe things that are just out of reach, strategically, financially, or personally. Often, but not always, people attribute the phrase to things that end up causing serious problems or consequences. For example, a store owner’s heady decision to quickly franchise or open multiple locations could be described as a “bridge too far” if those locations fail and end up costing big bucks. The idiom owes its roots to World War II when Allied forces conducted a failed mission to overcome a number of German bridges in a mission known as Operation Market Garden. That failure was the basis for both a novel and, later, a film called “Bridge Too Far,” which together are primarily responsible for the widespread use of the idiom in English-speaking communities.

Basic meaning
When the phrase “a bridge too far” is used, the implication is that the goal or mission described will either fail or end up unsuccessful. For example, a company with an exaggerated goal could end up failing. One person’s or group’s overly ambitious project may have to be scrapped altogether when it cannot be completed, resulting in wasted time, money and effort. A more realistic goal is much more likely to be achieved, and stretching the goal too far could result in a disproportionate amount of unintended consequences if success is not achieved.

Historical roots
The idiom owes its popularity to British Lieutenant General Frederick Browning, who was one of the key leaders in the abortive Allied mission known as Operation Market Garden in September 1944. In this operation, the Allies attempted to break through the German lines and seize several bridges in the Netherlands, which was occupied by Nazi forces at the time.

During the mission Allied troops managed to capture several bridges but were delayed by the demolition of a bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal. Much more resistance than anticipated was encountered and the Allies were eventually overwhelmed. Many troops were trapped as the bridges were not held and had to be evacuated. The exact number of Allied casualties is unknown, but there are believed to have been more than 15,000 killed, wounded or missing. Browning, who was said to have been skeptical of the mission from the outset, reportedly told mission organizers that “I think we may be going too far” before the operation began. His words were apparently unheard, but they sum up the sentiment of the idiom as it is used today.

Literary and multimedia titles
The idiom became popular after Browning’s quote was used as the title of a 1974 novel by Irish writer Cornelius Ryan, and a film based on that book and with the same title was released in 1977. The film was directed by British director Richard Attenborough. Additionally, the phrase is used as the title of a World War II-themed video game released in the mid-1990s by the US-based Microsoft Corporation.

Examples of colloquial use
People typically don’t use the idiom to describe warfare or military strategies, and indeed it can be applied to any number of everyday circumstances. In common parlance it is often used to describe something that simply takes a lot of effort to achieve. A person thinking about vacation expenses might say something like, “We stayed at the hotel for a week, went on some fun excursions, but renting a boat was just a bridge too far.” Similarly, someone thinking about time demands might notice that an extra task, task, or request was a bridge too far, particularly if accomplishing it would cause the person intense stress or difficulty.

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