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]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

a drag

Linda Dunbar came to see her niece at the parade, adding that she is a drag artist and she is "very proud of her".

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

The Chapter One gatherings quickly taught me how the long lulls broken up by spurts of passion that I once found a drag were actually as stirring as a religious experience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

“Persistent uncertainty continued to be a drag on low- and moderate-income consumers and the organizations that serve them,” the Chicago Fed said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

“That puts a drag on DCC’s valuation while the transition moves ahead.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

I could see Dusty’s goon guy sitting on the hood of his station wagon, the tip of the cigarette glowing orange whenever he took a drag.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen