Old Man of the Sea

A tiresome burden, especially a person, difficult to free oneself from.

Deirdre has Ken the Cardie Wearer ever at her side, an Old Man of the Sea she can't ditch. He grows daily more brain-sapping as he takes up local causes like t'cobbles in Coronation Street. (Molly Blake: The Mail's First Lady of TV; Evening Mail (Birmingham, UK); Dec 6, 2000.)

{origin}

After Old Man of the Sea, the sea-god, who forced Sinbad to carry him on his shoulders and refused to dismount. In this story from The Arabian Nights, Sinbad the Sailor eventually released himself from his burden by getting the Old Man drunk.

No categories:

» In Russian

To section: More Idioms

Subscribe to: Idioms feed

✉

Our RSS-channels

Show All

See as well

fourth class

[fourth class] {n.} A class of mail that is not sealed and weighs a pound or more, that includes things that are bought and sold and sent in the mail, […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

mail order

[mail order] {n. phr.} A purchase made by mail. * /If you don't have a chance to go to a store, you can sometimes make a purchase by mail order./ […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

side street

[side street] {n.} A street that runs into and ends at a main street. * /The store is on a side street just off Main Street./ * /The Spellmans bought […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

third class

[third class] {n.} 1. The third best or highest group; the class next after the second class. * /Mary won the pie-making contest in the third class, for the youngest […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

Recent updates

pop the question

[pop the question] {v. phr.}, {slang} To ask someone to marry you. * /After the dance he popped the question./ * /A man is […]

Henry Ford

(1863-1947) U.S. industrialist History is bunk.

проехали

[проехали] {slang}{colloquial} [pro`ehal'i] Forget it; disregard; you should not pay attention to this or worry […]

holdup

[holdup] {n.} 1. Robbery. * /John fell victim to a highway holdup./ 2. A delay, as on a crowded highway. * /Boy we're […]