IdiomBody & Senses
English
Englishbe a pain in the neck
Meaning: To be very annoying.
Example: “Filling in tax forms is a real pain in the neck.”
Origin: Recorded from about 1900 as a politer stand-in for ruder anatomical versions of the same complaint.
Other ways to say this
French: Casser les pieds à quelqu'un Literally: To break someone's feet
Hindi: नाक में दम करना (naak mein dam karna) Literally: To make someone's breath come through their nose
German: Jemandem auf den Keks gehen Literally: To go on someone's biscuit- French: Taper sur le système Literally: To run on the bean / to bang on the system
- English: get on someone's nerves
More English idioms
- have one's cake and eat it too To want two things that cannot both be had.
- muddy the waters To make a situation confusing, often on purpose.
- have the wind in one's sails To be doing well and moving forward with confidence and momentum.
- talk behind someone's back To say unkind things about someone when they are not present.
- add fuel to the fire To make a bad situation worse.
- be on pins and needles To be very anxious while waiting for something.
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