Idiom
pain in the ass
Vulgar
Meaning
Something or someone that causes discomfort, frustration, or annoyance.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“This broken printer is a real pain in the ass.”
“Filling out these complicated tax forms every year is a total pain in the ass.”
“Dealing with the constant bureaucratic delays proved to be a significant pain in the ass for the project manager.”
Examples
simple
“This broken printer is a real pain in the ass.”
contextual
“Filling out these complicated tax forms every year is a total pain in the ass.”
complex
“Dealing with the constant bureaucratic delays proved to be a significant pain in the ass for the project manager.”
Origin
The expression emerged in the early to mid-20th century, dysphemistically modelled after the more polite *pain in the neck*. It replaces the cervical discomfort of the original with a lower anatomical focus, though the underlying sentiment remains one of persistent inconvenience.
Key words
Related idioms
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