A millstone around one's neck In english explanation

The meaning, explanation, definition and origin of the idiom/phrase "A millstone around one's neck", English Idiom Dictionary ( also found in Vietnamese )

Zack Phuc

2021-06-28 09:06

Meaning of A millstone around one's neck

A millstone around one's neck noun phrase

Around or round can be both used in this phrase without changing the meaning.

If someone or something is a millstone around your neck, you consider them as a big problem, a heavy load or a significant obstacle that you cannot escape from.

Mom raised you and helped you pay for college, and now you consider her as a millstone around your neck after getting a job.

After speaking to my friends, I realized that I had a lot on my plate, which had become a millstone around my neck.

I feel writing is a millstone around my neck.

Other phrases about:

these things are sent to try us

This idiom is often used to express that you should accept an unpleasant situation or event because you cannot change it.

The author of your own misfortune

to be blamed because of one's own problem

you can't unring a bell

Once something has been done, you can do nothing but face the consequences.

to ask for trouble

to behave in a way that is likely to incur problems or difficulties

button your lip

To stop talking about anything

Origin of A millstone around one's neck

This idiom comes from the New Testament in the Holy Bible. The literal hanging of a millstone about the neck is mentioned as a punishment in Matthew 18:6, causing the miscreant to be drowned. Its present figurative use was first recorded in a history of the Quakers (c. 1720).