monkey on one's back
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Drug addiction, as in He'd had a monkey on his back for at least two years. [Slang; first half of 1900s]
A vexing problem or burden, as in This project has proved to be a monkey on my back—there seems to be no end to it. Both usages allude to being unable to shake off the animal from one's back.
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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Words nearby monkey on one's back
monkey flush, monkeygland sauce, monkey island, monkey jacket, monkey nut, monkey on one's back, monkey orchid, monkeypod, monkeypot, monkey puzzle, monkey's fist
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.