When a person is said to have too many irons in the fire it means that they have too many projects or activities going on at once. This term comes from the days when village Black Smiths or Smiths were the ones who fashioned Iron for things such as weapons and horse shoes.
A Black Smith would begin his day by getting his fire pit coals roaring hot and then he would place several pieces of iron into it to get them red hot so that they could more easily be hammered into their respective shapes. It was a common practice for the Smith to work on a piece and when it began to cool and was harder to shape he would place it back into the colas to get it hot again so it could be more easily worked. If he had several pieces of Iron in the pit he was said to have too many irons in the fire and was considered quite busy.
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