albatross

Everyday

1. An albatross is a very large seabird with long narrow wings that can glide over the ocean for a long time. tree →
2. (figurative) An albatross (around your neck) is a problem or burden you cannot escape. tree →

In the lessons

In nature lessons: albatrosses have the largest wingspans of any living bird and live over the Southern Ocean, near New Zealand and Australia. In literature, an old poem tells of a sailor punished for shooting an albatross, so it became a symbol of bad luck or guilt. In golf, an albatross is three under par on a hole.

Examples

• The albatross can glide for hours without flapping. tree →
• An albatross has a wingspan over three metres. tree →
• Albatrosses are found near New Zealand. tree →
• Plastic in the sea harms albatrosses. tree →
• That old debt is an albatross around his neck. tree →
• Albatrosses spend most of their lives at sea. tree →

Note

Plural: albatrosses. The «burden» meaning comes from a famous old poem. In golf: birdie = 1 under, eagle = 2 under, albatross = 3 under par.