pain in the neck

Idioms and Phrases

Also, pain in the ass or butt . A source of annoyance, a nuisance, as in Joan is a real pain in the neck, with her constant complaining , or Jack told his brother to stop being a pain in the ass . The first of these colloquial expressions dates from about 1900 and originated as a euphemism for the two less polite variants.

Example Sentences

Dr. Sollmann pointed out that non-invasive treatment options that directly target the site of pain in the neck muscles could be highly effective and safer than systemic drugs.

From Science Daily

It came into being in 1917, when Congress grew weary of having to vote on every proposed bond issuance, which it considered a pain in the neck.

From Los Angeles Times

“It was as much a pain in the neck as it was a beauty to be in.”

From Washington Post

The debt ceiling came into being in 1917 when Congress grew weary of having to vote on every proposed bond issuance, which it considered a pain in the neck.

From Los Angeles Times

Sometimes the indignities accumulated to such a degree that even Ms. Piel — once described by the Times as “the courts’ most elegant pain in the neck” — lost her equanimity.

From Washington Post