stretch thin

Verb

stretch thin (third-person singular simple present stretches thin, present participle stretching thin, simple past and past participle stretched thin)

1. To spread the resources of too far.
   • Barcelona had been harried and hurried and stretched thin by the midway point in the second half. Tackles flew in. Toes were crushed, shins barked, ankles hacked.2019 May 8, Barney Ronay, “Liverpool’s waves of red fury and recklessness end in joyous bedlam”, in The Guardian
   • Among the remaining contention points between the two armies is an eastern region called the Depsang Plains. Military analysts said that the Chinese Army was not allowing Indian troops to patrol in that area, even though they have done so for decades. While India’s military is already stretched...2022 September 9, Sameer Yasir, “2 Years After Deadly Fistfights, India and China Pull Back From Border”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 09 Sep 2022, Asia Pacific