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Reference : Idioms : Body : a weight off your shoulders

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a weight off your shoulders

Meaning: You can say a weight is off your shoulders if you no longer have to worry about something or deal with something difficult.

For example:

  • Thanks so much for agreeing to take care of Snoopy while I'm away. It's a weight off my shoulders knowing that a real dog lover will be looking after her.

  • I think it was a real weight off Cathy's shoulders when you offered to take care of the arrangements. She's got so much else to deal with at the moment.

Origin: Probably related to the fact that if someone is carrying a heavy object across their shoulders, and they put it down, it's "a weight off their shoulders".

Quick Quiz:

He has a lot to do this week, so Trevor said it'd be a real weight off his shoulders if I could
  1. find him more to do
  2. do the reports for him
  3. take his backpack off

Discuss: a weight off your shoulders

Idiom of the Day

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