a load off (one's) mind
The relief felt after sharing what one is thinking or feeling with others, or upon no longer having a particular problem. Having a night out to talk over my problem with my close friend helped me get a load off my mind. I finally completed my tax return for this year. That's a load off my mind! I bet it will take a load off your mind to get this test over and done with, huh?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
load off one's mind, a
Relief from a mental burden or anxiety, as in Good news about the baby took a load off my mind. This expression uses load in the sense of "a figurative burden." [Mid-1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
load off one's mind, a
A great relief. This cliché, transferring a physical burden to mental anxiety or anguish, dates from the mid-nineteenth century. In slightly different guise, however, Shakespeare used load in this figurative sense, as in “Those that wring under the load of sorrow” (Much Ado about Nothing, 5.1).
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer