on one's shoulders

Idioms  

1. As one's responsibility, as in The king carries his entire country on his shoulders, or The success of the conference rests on Nancy's shoulders. This metaphoric use of shoulders as the burden-bearing part of the body dates from the late 1300s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

on one's shoulders

That was the curse of dreaming: One woke to pallid reality, with neither wings on one’s shoulders nor goddess in one’s arms.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Instead of one bundle, one has two on one's shoulders, you understand?

From Yiddish Tales by Various

"Possibly," Vuillet resumed; "but the best of causes at the present time is to keep one's head on one's shoulders."

From The Fortune of the Rougons by Ernest Alfred Vizetelly

When one has an old man on one's shoulders one never can get rid of him.

From Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope

One should bear one's foe on one's shoulders as long as time is unfavourable.

From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 by Kisari Mohan Ganguli