albatross around one's neck

alternative albatross round one's neck

1. figurativelyidiomaticA characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.

   He bought the properties last year hoping to make a profit by reselling them; however, with the economic downturn, they have become an albatross around his neck.

   3 more examples

   Less attention was paid to the albatross that Bain, KKR, and Vornado had placed around the company’s neck. Toys “R” Us had a debt load of $1.86 billion before it was bought out.

   2018 June 13, Bryce Covert, “The Demise of Toys 'R' Us Is a Warning”, in The Atlantic, →ISSN

   “Marine wants to be French president, and her chance are pretty good for 2027,” said one former senior AfD official. “Why would she want a bunch of German neo-Nazis like an albatross round her neck?”

   2024 May 4, Guy Chazan, Leila Abboud, “Le Pen strains ties with German far-right”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2

   In politics, though, it’s a different story. There, the war has registered quite conspicuously, right from the start, and now hangs like perhaps the most obvious albatross among many around Trump’s neck.

   2026 September 23, David Wallace-Wells, “The Mistake That May Finally Get the Republican Base to Ditch Trump”, in The New York Times, →ISSN