Pain in the Neck, a

Meaning of Idiom ‘A Pain in the Neck’

When someone is a pain in the neck they are annoying or a source of irritation; a nuisance; someone that ‘gets on one’s nerves’

Also used:
pain in the butt
pain in the arse (UK)
pain in the ass (US)
pain in the backside

Sentence Examples

“He’s such a pain in the neck. He’s always complaining that we can’t come out to his house on a moment’s notice.”

“Stop being such a pain in the ass. We’re all busy and we all have the same workload. So stop complaining.”

“I know he’s a pain in the neck but you’ll have to tolerate him for a while.”

“I quit my first job after one week because the manager was such a pain in the butt.”

“This house is a pain in the ass. There’s a new problem to fix every day.”

Origin

The more vulgar pain in the arse/ass or pain in the butt was common by 1900. Pain in the neck was a more polite variation of these older phrases.