Pain in the Neck

Welcome to English in a Minute!

This idiom sounds a little painful.

Pain in the neck

What causes a pain in the neck?

Hey, welcome back!

How was your trip?

It was great.

until I missed my flight home.

Missed your flight?

How did you get back home?

First, I took a 12-hour bus ride .

Then, I took a train the rest of the way.

It was a major pain in the neck.

Wow, and you came straight to work!

If something is a pain in the neck, it is generally something that is very annoying.

You would rather not deal with whatever is causing you a pain in the neck.

For Anna, her return trip turned out to be a big pain in the neck.

Literally!

And that’s English in a Minute!