Don't be pain in the ass vs Don't be a pain in the ass

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'Don't be a pain in the ass' is the more common and idiomatic expression. It is used to tell someone not to be annoying or troublesome. On the other hand, 'Don't be pain in the ass' is grammatically correct but less common and sounds a bit more abrupt.

Last updated: March 30, 2024 • 4474 views

Don't be pain in the ass

This phrase is grammatically correct but less common and sounds more abrupt.

This phrase is used to tell someone not to be annoying or troublesome, but it is less common than the alternative with 'a'.

Show examples from the web [+]

Engage, but don't be a pain in the ass.
Howard, don't be a pain in the ass.
Now don't be a pain in the ass. I'm not your servant.
Look, I really don't want to be a pain in the ass.
Don't mean to be a pain in the ass, Cal, but it's going to cost us money.
Look, I don't know who you are and I don't need... to know it, I'm too busy right now so, please, don't be a pain in the ass.
Look, walsh, I don't mean to be a pain in the ass, okay?
The calls got to be pain in the ass.
Robson, you pain in the ass.
Sounds like a real pain in the ass.
It's a pain in the ass.
No, sir, but I'm by myself, and looking after your kids is a pain in the ass l don't need.
Now, maybe she is a little pissant pain in the ass, But I don't think she's a murderer.
I don't usually hear "a pain in the ass" and "Merry Christmas" so close together.
The quarterback's a pain in the ass that you don't owe a damn thing to.
You're one pain in the ass I don't need.
And I go, "I know it's kind of a pain in the ass,"but I don't ask for much.
Don't sugarcoat it. I'm a big pain in the ass.
We have to be careful this evening, they'll be pains-in-the-ass about Michele Cavataio.
They should have stayed home, not be pains in the ass to Fascism!

Alternatives:

don't be a pain in the ass

Don't be a pain in the ass

This phrase is the more common and idiomatic expression used to tell someone not to be annoying or troublesome.

This phrase is commonly used to express annoyance or frustration with someone's behavior.

Show examples from the web [+]

Engage, but don't be a pain in the ass.
Howard, don't be a pain in the ass.
Now don't be a pain in the ass. I'm not your servant.
Look, I don't know who you are and I don't need... to know it, I'm too busy right now so, please, don't be a pain in the ass.
Look, I really don't want to be a pain in the ass.
Don't mean to be a pain in the ass, Cal, but it's going to cost us money.
Look, walsh, I don't mean to be a pain in the ass, okay?
I mean, Juliette Barnes can be a pain in the ass.
Yeah, some clients can be a pain in the ass.
Marriage can be a pain in the ass.
Long enough to be a pain in the ass.
I better enjoy myself the next few weeks, because you're going to be a pain in the ass attending.
I guess I might have to stick around to be a pain in the ass, then.
Jammer may be a pain in the ass, but he's no traitor.
No, I called him Salvo because I knew he'd be a pain in the ass like you.
To be perfectly frank, this Fred is getting to be a pain in the ass.
I know I can be a pain in the ass.
Now Castle can be a pain in the ass, but he thinks outside the box.
Marriage can be a pain in the ass.
I've known Ollie long enough to know that he can be a pain in the ass, so... I'll go talk to him.

Alternatives:

don't be a nuisance
don't be a bother
don't be a pain
don't be a pain in the neck
don't be a pain in the behind

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

Don't be pain in the ass vs Don't be a pain in the ass