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yoke around one’s neck
01
a heavy and difficult situation or responsibility that someone has to deal with
Dialect
American
American
Idiom
Informal
What is the origin of the idiom "yoke around one's neck" and when to use it?
The idiom "yoke around one's neck" draws from the literal image of a yoke, which is a wooden beam placed across the shoulders of oxen or other draft animals to harness them together for work. Figuratively, it is used to describe a burdensome or oppressive obligation, responsibility, or situation that feels like an onerous weight around one's neck.
Examples
The unpaid debt became a yoke around his neck.
