drink from a firehose

English

Alternative forms

• drink from the fire hydrant

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

drink from a firehose (third-person singular simple present drinks from a firehose, present participle drinking from a firehose, simple past drank from a firehose, past participle drunk from a firehose)

1. (idiomatic) To be overwhelmed (with work, information, etc.); to be inundated with an unrestricted, unfiltered amount
2. (idiomatic) To take a small amount from an enormous, hard-to-manage quantity
   • 2004, Anthony G. Wilhelm, Digital Nation: Toward an Inclusive Information Society, page 20:

     If we are to be drinking from a firehose, with billions of web pages at our fingertips, then we should possess the skills to manage its flow.