monkey on one's back
2
8.7
- idiom
- Informal
:
carga
- God knows if, after all this time, they've still got the monkey on their back.
Examples
-
Overcoming his addiction felt impossible, like he had a monkey on his back that he couldn't shake off.
-
But I got this monkey on my back that's telling me to get it.
Blog text (20) -
Then you got the monkey on your back for the rest of your life.
-
PORTER: Nobody likes a monkey on their back.
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I want you to think of it as a toxic little monkey on your back.
-
Do you think you'll have a monkey on your back?
-
Amidst other scandals, it appears that Foulkes is walking with a huge monkey on his back and continues to carry the scandal everywhere he goes.
Blog text (18) -
This thing inside me, this appetite—it’s a monkey on my back, and I’ll never be free of it, no matter how far I run. Jason was right.
Fiction book (1990) -
The ongoing financial issues became a monkey on her back that caused her stress and anxiety.
-
His reputation as a habitual liar is a monkey on his back that he struggles to escape.
Synonyms
482
3.4
A heavy load or something that causes worry and difficulty
13
7.3
A heavy feeling of worry and responsibility
6
8.4
A heavy problem that stays and keeps causing worry or trouble
5
8.1
A heavy burden that makes life hard
2
8.6
A constant problem or responsibility that is hard to get rid of
Something that makes a task or journey harder
Antonyms
How Burdensome
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal constituents ('monkey' + 'on one's back') describe an animal physically on someone's back, which does not transparently yield the idiomatic sense of a persistent burden or addiction. This is a cultural/metaphorical extension specific to English (not directly predictable from the parts), so a B1 learner who only knows the words would likely not infer the figurative meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Monkey on one's back may come from the simple image of a small monkey sitting on a person's back, constantly bothering and weighing them down. That picture shows a problem you 'can't get rid of', so the phrase now means a long-lasting 'burden' or 'addiction'.