pain in the neck n 1: a bothersome annoying person; "that kid is a terrible pain" [syn: {pain}, {nuisance}] 2: something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness; "washing dishes was a nuisance before we got a dish washer"; "a bit of a bother"; "he's not a friend, he's an infliction" [syn: {annoyance}, {bother}, {botheration}, {pain}, {infliction}, {pain in the ass}]