Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

monkey on one's back

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.90 in modern English

Syllables: mon-key on one's back
IPA

33

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An addiction, especially to narcotic drugs.

noun

A state of persistent distress or worry or the cause of such a state.

Example Sentences

"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.""
""You got my monkey, Dealer? You take my nice old monkey away from me? Is that monkey ridin' your back these days, Dealer?""
""'E's got th' monkey on 'is back ower this letter job," said the father secretly to me."
""I moved, went through a lot of changes," she said, which was as much explanation as she would give him. "But I've still got this monkey on my back, you know, still looking for an explanation, and I hoped you might spare me a few minutes.""

Phrases

albatross around one's neck

Frequently Paired Words

albatross around one's neck

Synonyms

Chinaman on one's back

Antonyms

monkey off one's back

Questions

What does monkey on one's back mean?: An addiction, especially to narcotic drugs.

How to pronounce monkey on one's back

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