Barney Ross
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Learn the meaning and origin of the idiom monkey on your back, which means a persistent problem or addiction. Find out how to use it in a sentence and see synonyms and examples.
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Learn the meaning and usage of the idiom "a monkey on someone's back", which means a persistent or troublesome problem. See examples, synonyms, and related words.
Learn the meaning and origin of the idiom "monkey on your back", which means a longstanding problem or burden. Find out how it is used in different contexts and see examples and related idioms.
If you have a monkey on your back, you have a problem, often an emotional problem, that makes your life difficult for a long period. They haven't beaten United in three years and it's a monkey on their backs that they are desperate to shake off.
Aug 4, 2015 · Monkey, a habit, as in 'I have a monkey on my back.' Usually used when one is sick from lack of drugs. I believe that this slang for opiate addiction was a natural evolution of the phrase from its history of referring to an evil and subjugating force acting on someone beyond their control.
- Based on a first glance, it's looking like the original expression is "have a monkey on the roof," meaning a mortgage, dating back to the 1800s. La...
- I think the phrase predates references to a mortgage as a " monkey on the roof ." The earliest references to piggybacking monkeys involve the backs...
- The original reference was to addiction, specifically to heroin, and there are several songs that use it in this way. These days people use it to r...
- There's a much more ancient tale involving a monkey on somebody else's back, namely the fable by Aesop (who lived circa 620–564 BCE) that is known...
- SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL, SPEAK NO EVIL. ancient stuff. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_wise_monkeys in short, the monkeys kept a record of the...
- The American Heros channel on TV stated that President U.S. Grant as an 11 yr. old boy rode a bucking horse as a challenge in a circus. No one else...
- I found an instance going back to 1809. Though it is not used figuratively like it is in The Parterre of Poetry and Historical Romance from 1836 (g...
- Hunters in Mozambique throw monkeys towards the wild hogs, the monkeys hop on and slow the hogs as they run. And a video demonstrating how it's dow...
If you have a monkey on your back, you have a problem, often an emotional problem, that makes your life difficult for a long period. They haven't beaten United in three years and it's a monkey on their backs that they are desperate to shake off.
Learn the meaning and usage of the phrase "monkey on one's back", which can refer to a vexing problem or burden, or drug addiction. See examples of how to use it in a sentence and take a quiz on related words.
