albatross around one's neck

短语

发音

AU

别名

albatross round one's neck

释义与例句

n.
  1. 1.

    A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.

    比喻 习语

    He bought the properties last year hoping to make a profit by reselling them; however, with the economic downturn, they have become an albatross around his neck.

词源

From The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, wherein a sailor's killing of an albatross brings bad luck and results in the dead bird being hung around the killer's neck by his crewmates.

来源：wiktionary