'To Have a Monkey on Your Back' Is No Laughing Matter
2022-11-13
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Today we talk about an expression, or idiom, involving an animal - a monkey to be exact.
3Monkeys are intelligent animals, and they often do funny things.
4So, the English language has some monkey expressions that describe a fun situation.
5For example, to monkey around means to do things that are not useful or serious.
6And if something is more fun than a barrel of monkeys, it is very fun!
7But what if you had to carry a monkey around with you every minute of every day ... on your back? That may not be so fun.
8And that brings us to today's expression - to have a monkey on your back.
9If you have a monkey on your back, you have a problem that cannot be easily solved.
10And you possibly have had that problem for a long time.
11To have a monkey on your back can also mean to carry a great emotional weight.
12This weight comes from a bad decision or perhaps a feeling that you have done something wrong.
13But the expression is used in more situations than that.
14It is often used to describe a serious problem, worry, or concern that makes life difficult or unpleasant.
15Sometimes we use this idiom to describe a situation that is not our fault.
16It could be a hardship or condition from which we suffer.
17Here are some examples.
18A man grew up in extreme poverty.
19For a time, it was a monkey on his back.
20But getting a good education was the first step to getting the monkey off his back.
21If a woman has a gambling, alcohol, or drug addiction, we could say she has a monkey on her back.
22It could last for many years or even a lifetime.
23However, if she could solve or end the problem, we could say she finally got the monkey off her back!
24There is another expression that also means having a monkey on your back.
25That expression is a millstone around someone's neck.
26A millstone is a very large, heavy stone used for grinding things such as grain or corn.
27It crushes things easily.
28So, we also use the word millstone to describe a serious responsibility, problem, or concern.
29For example, student debt is a millstone for many young people.
30We could also say the debt is a millstone around their necks or a monkey on their backs.
31And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories!
32Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Today we talk about an expression, or idiom, involving an animal - a monkey to be exact. 3Monkeys are intelligent animals, and they often do funny things. So, the English language has some monkey expressions that describe a fun situation. 4For example, to monkey around means to do things that are not useful or serious. And if something is more fun than a barrel of monkeys, it is very fun! 5But what if you had to carry a monkey around with you every minute of every day ... on your back? That may not be so fun. 6And that brings us to today's expression - to have a monkey on your back. 7If you have a monkey on your back, you have a problem that cannot be easily solved. And you possibly have had that problem for a long time. 8To have a monkey on your back can also mean to carry a great emotional weight. This weight comes from a bad decision or perhaps a feeling that you have done something wrong. 9But the expression is used in more situations than that. 10It is often used to describe a serious problem, worry, or concern that makes life difficult or unpleasant. Sometimes we use this idiom to describe a situation that is not our fault. It could be a hardship or condition from which we suffer. 11Here are some examples. 12A man grew up in extreme poverty. For a time, it was a monkey on his back. But getting a good education was the first step to getting the monkey off his back. 13If a woman has a gambling, alcohol, or drug addiction, we could say she has a monkey on her back. It could last for many years or even a lifetime. However, if she could solve or end the problem, we could say she finally got the monkey off her back! 14There is another expression that also means having a monkey on your back. 15That expression is a millstone around someone's neck. 16A millstone is a very large, heavy stone used for grinding things such as grain or corn. It crushes things easily. So, we also use the word millstone to describe a serious responsibility, problem, or concern. 17For example, student debt is a millstone for many young people. We could also say the debt is a millstone around their necks or a monkey on their backs. 18And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories! 19Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 20Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 21__________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23barrel -n. a round bulging container that is longer than it is wide and has flat ends 24fault -n. a wrongful act 25addiction -n. a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly