The top job proved to be a crown of thorns.
a crown of thorns
idiomAn honour or position that brings suffering rather than glory.
Origin
The crown of thorns appears in the passion narrative, at Matthew 27:29 and John 19:2, where Roman soldiers mock Jesus as King of the Jews by plaiting thorns into a crown and forcing it onto his head.
The whole force of the image lies in its contradiction: a crown is the emblem of royalty and honour, but this one is woven to wound, so the very symbol of exaltation becomes an instrument of pain and ridicule.
In English a crown of thorns names any honour, title, or high office that turns out to be a source of torment — a coveted position whose prestige is inseparable from the suffering it inflicts on whoever wears it.
Leading the troubled charity was a crown of thorns, all blame and no budget, and few good candidates would take it.
The premiership she had fought so long to win turned into a crown of thorns, an office that consumed her health and reputation while the crises she had inherited made real achievement all but impossible.
The betrayal, trial and crucifixion.
- 01
wash your hands of it (idiom)
To publicly refuse any further responsibility for something or someone.
- 02
thirty pieces of silver (idiom)
A contemptible price paid or accepted for an act of betrayal.
- 03
doubting Thomas (idiom)
One who requires proof before believing.
- 04
a cross to bear (idiom)
A heavy, ongoing personal burden or difficulty that one must carry.
- 05
a Judas kiss (idiom)
An act of betrayal disguised as friendship or affection.
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give up the ghost (idiom)
To cease clinging to life; to die.