pain in the neck
An especially irritating, aggravating, or obnoxious person, thing, or situation. You know, Jack, you may be my friend, but you can be a real pain in the neck sometimes! This calculus homework is a pain in the neck. It's not that I don't understand it, it's just so tedious!
pain-in-the-neck
(used before a noun) Very irritating, aggravating, or obnoxious. I've still got a few pain-in-the-neck jobs to do around the farm before I can call it quits for the day. We're having Mary over for dinner tomorrow night. I just hope her pain-in-the-neck husband doesn't come along as well.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
pain in the neck
Fig. a bother; an annoyance. This assignment is a pain in the neck. Your little brother is a pain in the neck.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
pain in the neck
Also, pain in the ass or butt . A source of annoyance, a nuisance, as in Joan is a real pain in the neck, with her constant complaining, or Jack told his brother to stop being a pain in the ass. The first of these colloquial expressions dates from about 1900 and originated as a euphemism for the two less polite variants.
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.
pain in the neck
n. a difficult or annoying thing or person. (see also
pain in the ass.)
My boss is a pain in the neck. McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.