monkey on one's back

[monkey on one's back] {n. phr.}, {informal} An unsolved or nagging problem.

/"My math course is a real monkey on my back," Jack complained./

Compare: ALBATROSS AROUND ONE'S NECK, MILLSTONE AROUND ONE'S NECK.

Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms

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	albatross around one's neck [albatross around one's neck] {n. phr.}, {literary} Guilt, the haunting past, an unforgettable problem. * ... A Dictionary of American Idioms millstone around one's neck [millstone around one's neck] {n. phr.} An intolerable burden. * /Max said that his old ... A Dictionary of American Idioms back [back] See: [BACK OF] or [IN BACK OF], [BEHIND ONE'S BACK], [BRUSH BACK], [COME BACK], ... A Dictionary of American Idioms off one's back [off one's back] {adj. phr.} 1. {informal} Stopped from bothering one; removed as an annoyance ... A Dictionary of American Idioms set back on one's heels [set back on one's heels] or [knock back on one's heels] {v. phr.}, {informal} To ... A Dictionary of American Idioms on one's back [on one's back] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Making insistent demands of you; being an annoyance or ... A Dictionary of American Idioms neck [neck] See: BREATHE DOWN ONE'S NECK, BREAK ONE'S NECK, CATCH IT IN THE NECK or ... A Dictionary of American Idioms