"irons in the fire" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Describing a blacksmith working on several pieces at the same time.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "p",
        "head": "irons in the fire"
      },
      "expansion": "irons in the fire pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English pluralia tantum",
          "parents": [
            "Pluralia tantum",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Polish links with redundant wikilinks",
          "parents": [
            "Links with redundant wikilinks",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2024 January 24, Dyan Perry talks to Nick Brodrick, “The industry has given me so much”, in RAIL, number 1001, page 45",
          "text": "Although she plans to step back from the boards of NSAR and East West Rail, there are \"a couple of other irons in the fire\".",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Tasks in progress; involvement in ongoing projects."
      ],
      "id": "en-irons_in_the_fire-en-noun-lQn5ptxw",
      "links": [
        [
          "Tasks",
          "task"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "have one's fingers in many pies"
        },
        {
          "word": "wear too many hats"
        },
        {
          "word": "spin plates"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "have mange jern i ilden"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "monta rautaa tulessa"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "neuter",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "Eisen im Feuer"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "hafa mörg járn í eldinum"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "vera ekki við eina fjölina felldur"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "hafa margt í takinu"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "vasast í mörgu"
        },
        {
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "ha mange jarn i elden"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "neuter",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "zadania"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-irons in the fire.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0b/En-au-irons_in_the_fire.ogg/En-au-irons_in_the_fire.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/En-au-irons_in_the_fire.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "irons in the fire"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Describing a blacksmith working on several pieces at the same time.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "p",
        "head": "irons in the fire"
      },
      "expansion": "irons in the fire pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "have one's fingers in many pies"
    },
    {
      "word": "wear too many hats"
    },
    {
      "word": "spin plates"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English pluralia tantum",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Polish links with redundant wikilinks",
        "Translation table header lacks gloss"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2024 January 24, Dyan Perry talks to Nick Brodrick, “The industry has given me so much”, in RAIL, number 1001, page 45",
          "text": "Although she plans to step back from the boards of NSAR and East West Rail, there are \"a couple of other irons in the fire\".",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Tasks in progress; involvement in ongoing projects."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Tasks",
          "task"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-irons in the fire.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0b/En-au-irons_in_the_fire.ogg/En-au-irons_in_the_fire.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/En-au-irons_in_the_fire.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "have mange jern i ilden"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "monta rautaa tulessa"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "neuter",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "Eisen im Feuer"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "hafa mörg járn í eldinum"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "vera ekki við eina fjölina felldur"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "hafa margt í takinu"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "vasast í mörgu"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "ha mange jarn i elden"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "neuter",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "zadania"
    }
  ],
  "word": "irons in the fire"
}