a pain in the neck
1
a person or thing that is very annoying or troublesome
The idiom "a pain in the neck" uses the metaphor of physical discomfort or annoyance in the neck area to express a sense of frustration or exasperation. It is used to convey the idea that the person or thing being referred to is causing significant inconvenience or annoyance, similar to a persistent pain in the neck.
- My neighbor's loud parties every weekend are a real pain in the neck; I can never get a good night's sleep.
- Dealing with all the paperwork and bureaucracy at the government office is such a pain in the neck.
- Trying to assemble this furniture with the poorly written instructions is turning into a real pain in the neck.
- She's always complaining and finding faults with everything; she can be such a pain in the neck to be around.
- Running into traffic on my way to an important meeting was a major pain in the neck; I ended up being late.