A: I want very much to buy a new Tesla Model S, but don’t have the budget. The guy at the dealership said he can help me get loans from some financing firm. What do you say? B: Trust me, don’t get in debt. You don’t want that monkey on your back. Note: This term is a metaphor for “a persistent burden or problem.” The origin of this idiom may be the stories of Sinbad, a legendary sailor and hero of Middle Eastern literature. In one story, a creature described somewhat like an ape jumps on Sinbad’s back and will not get off. In the 1930s the idiom was applied to a drug addiction. Sometimes the phrase is expressed as “get the monkey off one’s back,” meaning to “rid oneself of a burden, problem or addiction.” |