Idiom – Albatross Around One’s Neck

Albatross Around One’s Neck – Idiom of the Day

Meaning:

A great burden that one has to carry.

Origin:

This expression comes directly from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s longest poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, published in 1798. It talks about a mariner (a sailor), who kills an albatross while on a voyage. After he commits this heinous crime, the ship is blown way off its course. This makes the crew angry, as they think killing the albatross cursed the ship. They make the mariner wear the dead albatross around his neck, to illustrate the burden he must suffer for killing such a noble bird.

Usage:

1. With the rising costs of maintenance and insurance, the monthly car payments have become an albatross around my neck.
2. Being the daughter of a fraudulent businessman was an albatross around Caroline’s neck, one that she could never cast off. The day her father got arrested and their assets were seized, she knew her life would never be the same.
3. Sometimes, being the son of an A-list celebrity can be an albatross around an aspiring actor’s neck. There are too many expectations.
4. My drunk driving conviction will forever be an albatross around my neck, and that will be on every job application I fill out. Never drink and drive, kids.