ball and chain
English
A ball and chain on display at the Sagalunds Museum in Kimitoön, Finland
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun
ball and chain (plural balls and chains)
- A heavy iron ball attached to a prisoner's leg by a chain as a means of restraint.
- 1990, Mike Ness (songwriter), Social Distortion (band), “Ball and Chain”:
- Take away this ball and chain.
- 1990, Mike Ness (songwriter), Social Distortion (band), “Ball and Chain”:
- (slang) One's wife, as a symbol of restraint.
- (figuratively) Anything that restricts one's freedom or opportunities.
- 2011, John Bradley, Cadbury's Purple Reign: The Story Behind Chocolate's Best-Loved Brand
- Their business model of the 1920s and 1930s, which had catapulted the business to undreamt-of heights, had then turned into something of a ball and chain.
- 2011, John Bradley, Cadbury's Purple Reign: The Story Behind Chocolate's Best-Loved Brand
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