cross to bear

Idioms  

1. A burden or trial one must put up with, as in Alzheimer's is a cross to bear for the whole family, or in a lighter vein, Mowing that huge lawn once a week is Brad's cross to bear: This phrase alludes to the cross carried by Jesus to his crucifixion. Today it may be used either seriously or lightly. [Second half of 1500s]

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Example Sentences

Whereas the Big Ten’s deal had served as a valuation North Star for the conference, the Big 12’s agreement became its Southern Cross to bear.

From Seattle Times

“I have the video to constantly remind me that this is a large cross to bear.”

From Los Angeles Times

Screen work soon followed, including the lead in the 2012 TV drama “A Cross to Bear,” playing a homeless, alcoholic mother.

From New York Times

This is my cross to bear and one of my most embarrassing admissions.

From Los Angeles Times

This is a man so steeped in self-pity that he regards the public’s misunderstanding of his vast fortune as “his cross to bear.”

From Washington Post

Related Words

• adversity
• grief
• heartache
• misery
• misfortune
• woe