monkey on one's back

1. A vexing problem or burden, as in This project has proved to be a monkey on my back—there seems to be no end to it . Both usages allude to being unable to shake off the animal from one's back.

2. Drug addiction, as in He'd had a monkey on his back for at least two years . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]

Related Words

• compulsion
• delusion
• enthusiasm
• fascination
• infatuation
• mania
• passion
• phobia
• preoccupation