a crown of thorns
An honour or position that brings suffering rather than glory.
“The top job proved to be a crown of thorns.”
“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 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.
The betrayal, trial and crucifixion.
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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.
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doubting Thomas (idiom)
One who requires proof before believing.
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a cross to bear (idiom)
A heavy, ongoing personal burden or difficulty that one must carry.
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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.
Last updated July 29, 2026