the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > types or manners of hindrance > [noun] > encumberment > that which or one who > hard to get rid of (4)
figurative. That which clings like a bur; a thing or person difficult to get rid of or ‘shake off’.
(in the story of Sinbad the Sailor in the Arabian Nights) the sea-god who forced Sinbad to carry him on his shoulders for many days and nights…
A long-standing burden or problem.
figurative. A source of frustration, obstruction, or guilt, from which it is difficult to rid oneself; a burden, an encumbrance; a hindrance…