IdiomBody & Senses
English
Englishalbatross around one's neck
Meaning: Something or someone that is a burden and difficult to get rid of.
Example: “That failed restaurant has become an albatross around his neck.”
Equivalents in other languages
French: Traîner une casserole Literally: To drag a saucepan behind you
Origin: From Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798). The mariner shoots an albatross, a bird that sailors saw as a good omen, and when bad luck strikes the ship his shipmates hang the dead bird around his neck as a sign of his guilt.
More English idioms
- bird's-eye view A broad view or overview of something or someplace.
- blue-blood A person (or animal) that is an aristocrat or from a noble family.
- a bone of contention A topic of dispute.
- a bone to pick A dispute.
- burn one's bridges To take a course of action that makes it impossible to go back.
- by word of mouth The informal, verbal passing of information from one person to another.
Explore another collection: False Friends
Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
- Lectura Actually means 'reading'. A lecture is una conferencia.
- Compromiso Actually means 'commitment', 'obligation', or 'engagement'. For a negotiated compromise,…
- Gracioso Actually means 'funny' or 'amusing'. For gracious (kind and polite), say amable.
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