monkey on one's back
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English[edit]
Noun[edit]
- (idiomatic) An addiction, especially to narcotic drugs.
- 1972, "The Blue-Collar Blues," Time, 24 Jul.:
- Prine's balladeering also includes social comment, as in Sam Stone, a song about a veteran returning from "the conflict overseas with a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back."
- 1972, "The Blue-Collar Blues," Time, 24 Jul.:
- (idiomatic) A state of persistent distress or worry or the cause of such a state.
- 1922, D. H. Lawrence, "Wintry Peacock," in England, My England:
- "'E's got th' monkey on 'is back ower this letter job," said the father secretly to me.
- 1922, D. H. Lawrence, "Wintry Peacock," in England, My England:
Synonyms[edit]
References[edit]
- Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.
