monkey on one's back

English

Noun

monkey on one's back

1. (idiomatic) An addiction, especially to narcotic drugs.
   • 1972, "The Blue-Collar Blues," Time, 24 Jul.:

     Prine's balladeering also includes social comment, as in Sam Stone, a song about a veteran returning from "the conflict overseas with a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back."

2. (idiomatic) A state of persistent distress or worry or the cause of such a state.
   • 1922, D. H. Lawrence, "Wintry Peacock," in England, My England:

     "'E's got th' monkey on 'is back ower this letter job," said the father secretly to me.

Synonyms

• Chinaman on one's back

References

• Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.