Meaning:
The agent of ruin or woe.
Background:
We don't often use the word `bane' any longer and when we do it is likely to
be as part of `the bane of my/his/her life'. This is usually uttered as a
complaint against a not very serious threat, for example, a gardener might
complain "those slugs are the bane of my life". Baneful threats weren't
always so casual. `Bane' is a very ancient word, recorded in the Old English
Chronicles as early as circa 800, meaning `murderer'. The bane of one's life
in those days was a very real threat to one's existence.
Over time, the term `bane' came to mean `that which causes death' and
specifically, poison. This is still with us in the names of various poisonous
plants, for example Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), Wolfsbane (Aconitum) and the
unpleasant sounding Ratsbane, which is another name for rat poison that is,
arsenic.
- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]
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In my 30s, I managed to put near 200lbs on my 5'6" frame. I'd huff and puff
after a short burst of energy, be it running a few steps or climbing a flight of
stairs. Everything seemed harder with the extra poundage. For a long time, being
overweight was the bane of my life.
Once, to celebrate Father's Day, the kindergarten teachers lined us up, each
carrying his child over his shoulders, and race us across the lawn. I was eager
to get ahead but mid-course a gopher hole caught my foot and I went down like a
sack of potatoes, bringing my boy to the ground with me. The hurt was nothing
compared with the humiliation. I resolved to lose weight and it took years to
turn the loaded ship around. I still think some gopherbane could do that lawn
and racing dads a lot of good.
