millstone around one's neck
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A heavy burden, as in Julie finds Grandma, who is crabby, a millstone around her neck. The literal hanging of a millstone about the neck is mentioned as a punishment in the New Testament (Matthew 18:6), causing the miscreant to be drowned. Its present figurative use was first recorded in a history of the Quakers (c. 1720).
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TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS
Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”
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Words nearby millstone around one's neck
mill scale, Mills cross, Mills grenade, mills of the gods grind slowly, millstone, millstone around one's neck, millstream, Mill Valley, Millville, mill wheel, millwork
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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