uneasy

uneasy is the head that wears a/the crown

proverb The person who has the most power or authority suffers the largest amount of stress, anxiety, doubt, and worry. A misquote of the line "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part II. Sometimes I wish I weren't the boss of this company so I could just walk away from all these issues come quitting time. Uneasy is the head that wears a crown, as they say. A: "Have you ever noticed how new presidents' hair starts going gray after just the first year?" B: "Oh, for sure—uneasy is the head that wears the crown."

See also: crown, head, that, uneasy, wear

uneasy lies the head that wears a/the crown

The person who has the most power or authority suffers the largest amount of stress, anxiety, doubt, and worry. Originally from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part II. Sometimes I wish I weren't the boss of this company so I could just walk away from all these issues come quitting time. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, as they say. A: "Have you ever noticed how new presidents' hair starts going gray after just the first year?" B: "Oh, for sure—uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."

See also: crown, head, lie, that, uneasy, wear

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

Prov. A person who has a lot of power and prestige also has a lot of responsibilities, and therefore worries more than other people. (From Shakespeare's play, Henry IV, Part II.) Susan began to have trouble sleeping shortly after she was promoted to head of her department. "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," her friends teased.

See also: crown, head, lie, that, uneasy, wear

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.