pain in the neck
Someone or something which is annoying, irritating or inconvenient.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“That loud neighbor is a real pain in the neck.”
“Filling out all these tax forms every year is a total pain in the neck.”
“While he appreciated the opportunity to lead the project, the constant administrative paperwork proved to be an absolute pain in the neck.”
The idiom was first attested in the 1920s. It is generally understood as a euphemism for more anatomically specific frustrations, though the decade of its arrival provides the only recorded historical anchor.
- 01
albatross around one's neck
A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.
- 02
albatross round one's neck
Alternative form of albatross around one's neck.
- 03
brass neck
Gall, shamelessness, cheek.
- 04
break one's neck
To make extraordinary efforts to achieve an end; to exert oneself in pursuit of a goal.
- 05
breathe down someone's neck
To follow or supervise someone too closely, causing discomfort for that person.
- 06
checkup from the neck up
The analysis of one's own thoughts or beliefs with a view to reforming oneself.
- 07
fall on someone's neck
To embrace someone affectionately or thankfully.
- 08
Gregory
[Cockney slang]neck, or cheque
Last updated August 10, 2026