As one's responsibility, as in The king carries his entire country on his shoulders, or The success of the conference rests on Nancy's shoulders. This metaphoric use of shoulders as the burden-bearing part of the body dates from the late 1300s.
on one's shoulders
| Idioms: on one's shoulders |
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 | shoulder (Idiom) |
| square (Idiom) |
| Every Day Except Christmas (1957 Film) |
Help us answer these
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| Does a toga have to be one shoulder? |
| What does one pop in your shoulder mean? |
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Copyrights:
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 | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
Related answers
- If one is superstitious over which shoulder should one throw salt?
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