have something handed on a plate—achieve or get smth. with too little effort:
- Car factories of Japan will have a new market handed to them on a plate.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase have one’s lunch handed to one—be outperformed and shown up by smb. better:
- Certainly to have your lunch handed to you by a thirteen year old would not be something you would want to advertise to your peers.
have something on one’s plate—have a lot of things or problems to deal with:
- I can’t possibly take a holiday at the moment; I’ve got far too much on my plate.