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ball and chain |
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ball and chain 1. a wife. (Mostly jocular.) I've got to get home to my ball and chain. My ball and chain is mad at me. 2. a person's special burden; a job. (Prisoners sometimes were fettered with a chain attached to a leg on one end and to a heavy metal ball on the other.) Tom wanted to quit his job. He said he was tired of that old ball and chain. Mr. Franklin always referred to his wife as his ball and chain. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Next, we encounter another unsettling photograph: a spiked ankle shackle with an iron ball and chains which was designed so that the spikes would cause severe injury if a slave attempted to run away. |
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