APAD: take a load off

Definition

    to rest after a period of hard work

 

Examples

   1) After a long day at work, she decided to take a load off and unwind in a

      hammock.

   2) When someone offered to carry her heavy bags, she felt relieved and gladly

      let him help her take a load off.

 

Etymology

   The term is likely derived from the idea of unburdening oneself from physical

   or mental strain, with "load" referring to a heavy burden or responsibility.

 

Synonyms

    loosen up, chill out, kick back

 

- englishdaily626.com [edited]

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[For a long time, I have confused the phrase with "take a load of." But the

latter was not even in the dictionary!]

 

Sudden changes can be dangerous and big load should be taken off piecemeal.

Many a laborer retired from the fields, kept having three square meals a day,

and in a few years succombed to affluent diseases. In Shawshank Redemption,

after released, some ex-cons break the law just to get back to prison and some

kill themselves failing to live free.