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

Low consumer confidence continues to be a drag on household spending, Bert Colijn at ING said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Banks, which account for about half of the benchmark index, are likely to be a drag rather than a driver, as revenues face pressure from lower interest rates following two years of strong performance, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal

Allen said the 1.6 percentage point contribution from net trade was unusually large and is likely to reverse, either through revisions or a drag from inventories in coming quarters.

From Barron's

Allen said the 1.6 percentage point contribution from net trade was unusually large and is likely to reverse, either through revisions or a drag from inventories in coming quarters.

From Barron's

What Slok labels a “bifurcated economy” is a drag on overall U.S. growth.

From MarketWatch