Cross to bear

[LaraH]

Is there another idiom that means the same as "cross to bear" without the religious connotation?

[BobK]

There's a rather jingoistic one, which avoids the religious overtones but may well be objectionable for other reasons: "the white man's burden". Some colonial-minded poet coined this - Kipling I think - to refer to the responsibilites of empire.

b

[LaraH]

Thanks for your answer but that still isn't the right phrase for me to use.

[Mariner]

How about "grin and bear it"?

=to accept an unpleasant or difficult situation because there is nothing you can do to improve it

"I don't want to spend the whole weekend working but I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it."

[Anglika]

or how about just " a heavy burden to carry"

[Philly]

.
There are some less commonly used idioms with a similar meaning (to me, they're not as common as "a cross to bear"):
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- a millstone around (someone's) neck
- a yoke around (someone's) neck
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You could also say that someone "has a burden on (their) shoulders."
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[BobK]

.
There are some less commonly used idioms with a similar meaning (to me, they're not as common as "a cross to bear"):
.
- a millstone around (someone's) neck
- a yoke around (someone's) neck
.
You could also say that someone "has a burden on (their) shoulders."
.

I believe the millstone image is Biblical, so that might be ruled out as too religious.

And on the subject of necks, you can also have "an albatross around your neck" - but that's not the same meaning. It's a physical reminder of former wrong-doing - a reference to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

b