Pain in the neck Informal

An annoying, tiresome person or thing that causes ongoing irritation or trouble.

It’s a mild, family-friendly way of complaining — sharp enough to register real annoyance, but soft enough to use about a coworker, relative, or chore without sounding truly harsh.

“Pain in the neck” is a euphemistic softening of the cruder “pain in the ass,” moving the discomfort up the body to a part that can be mentioned in polite company. The neck version is documented in American English from the early twentieth century, part of a small family of interchangeable body-part euphemisms for the same idea (“pain in the neck,” “pain in the backside,” “pain in the rear”) that let speakers express real irritation while avoiding vulgar language in mixed or formal settings. Its mildness is precisely what has kept it in everyday use for over a century, including in contexts — workplaces, classrooms, family dinners — where the more vulgar original would be out of place.

My little brother can be a real pain in the neck when he’s bored.

This printer is such a pain in the neck — it jams every single time.

Filling out the same form three times was a pain in the neck.

A: How was dealing with customs? B: A total pain in the neck, honestly.