carry dead weight

1. To carry someone or something that is dead, unconscious, or totally limp, and thus more difficult to move or carry than they would be otherwise. Trying to cross the mountain carrying the dead weight of my unconscious friend was almost impossible. Remember, if you trek too far away from your vehicle while hunting, you'll be carrying dead weight all that way back. Jamie struggled to carry the dead weight of her sleeping 10-year-old son to his bedroom.

2. To be burdened with a person or thing that holds someone or something else back or prevents progress. It's clear that the team's quarterback is too far past his prime. They're basically just carrying dead weight at this point. This legislation serves no purpose and is stalling our negotiations in other more important areas. Let's stop carrying dead weight and just toss it out already. We're just carrying dead weight with all those empty containers. We're going to have to jettison them if we want to have enough fuel to make it back.