carry the load
Shoulder the weight
To carry the load is to bear the primary responsibility or do most of the work in a shared effort.
The phrase comes from physical labor—someone literally carrying heavy cargo—but applies to any situation where one person shoulders more than their share: She carried the load while her coworkers slacked off.
In sports, a player who carries the load dominates production for their team.
- bearLarge furry omnivore
- bear the bruntAbsorb primary impact
- shoulderUpper arm joint
- broad shouldersWide upper back area
- burdenOppressive weight or duty
heavy lifting · haul · heavy · weight · struggle · strain · effort · pull your weight · lift · drag · responsibility · duty · backbone · muscle · sweat · grit · endure · hold it together
- helpingaid, assist, give a hand, help, helping hand
- accountabilityaccountability, responsibility, accountable, take responsibility, answerability
carry the loaddrop the ball
Fail at a critical moment
dereliction of duty · pass the buck · duck out · cop out · weasel out
carry the loadslack off
Reduce one's effort
freeload · coast · phone it in · do nothing · loaf
carry, load, carries, carried, carrying, carrier, carriers, carriage, carriages