English Explanatory Dictionary

albatross around one's neck

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.

Pronunciation

en-au-albatross around one's neck.ogg

Word forms

albatross around one's neck albatross round one's neck

Etymology

From The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, wherein a sailor's killing of an albatross brings bad luck and results in the dead bird being hung around the killer's neck by his crewmates.

Related words

millstone around one's neck monkey on one's back
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