a drag

Idioms  

1. A tedious experience, a bore, as in After several thousand times, signing your autograph can be a drag. This seemingly modern term was army slang during the Civil War. The allusion probably is to drag as something that impedes progress. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

But the spare use of cutting in key moments can be a drag — when your brain is working faster than the movie, that’s a problem.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

It’s why Hernandez organized a drag show with seven community organizations in Havana, including gay advocacy group RedHSH and transgender collectives TransCuba and La Red Afro-Cubana de Personas Trans.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Researchers estimated that it would incite higher unemployment and create a drag of 1% to 3% on annual gross domestic product growth.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Its research finds a drag on GDP of only 20-50 basis points in this worst-case scenario.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

Trying to win approval for your Outside-You is a drag, Jason.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell