Dictionary

ball and chain en · NOUN

A heavy iron ball attached to a prisoner's leg by a chain as a means of restraint.
- In those days a prisoner here had to carry his ball and chain when he was walking to the chow hall.
- Well, I got one foot on the platform / The other foot on the train / I'm goin' back to New Orleans / To wear that ball and chain 1964, “The House of the Rising Sun”, performed by The Animals:
- Take away this ball and chain 1990, Mike Ness, “Ball and Chain”, performed by Social Distortion:
(derogatory, slang) One's spouse, especially a wife, as a symbol of restraint.
- Near-synonyms: other half (neutral valence), better half (positive valence)
- I'll have to ask the old ball and chain and get back to you.
(figuratively) Anything that restricts one's freedom or opportunities.
- 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:
- Now 2015 feels like a very long time ago, and the charitable origins have turned into a ball and chain for OpenAI. 2025 May 30, Matteo Wong, “OpenAI Can Stop Pretending”, in The Atlantic:
- His boss turned his conscientiousness into a ball and chain by giving him all the hard jobs.

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
balls and chains	Number=Plur		lexicographic

tr pranga (means of restraint) · tr bukağı (means of restraint) · sh bukagije (means of restraint) · fr boulet (means of restraint)