Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a feeling of irritation; usu. as give someone a pain in the arse

1935		C. Odets Awake and Sing! II i: What’s it get you? [...] a pain in the bustle it gets you.
1971		R.D. Pharr S.R.O. (1998) 55: ‘I get a pain in the ass every time I hear some broad talking all dainty about she don’t like sex’.
2021		Breen & Conlon Hitmen 240: ‘Now, fuck off. I’ve a pain in my fucking hole with you’.

2. an annoying person.

1934		L. Berg Prison Nurse (1964) 113: Dames are a pain in the whoosis.
1934		H. Miller Tropic of Cancer (1963) 3: You can see immediately what a pain in the ass the Borowskis are.
1934		H. Roth Call It Sleep (1977) 321: Cheez! If I’d aknown you wuz such a pain inna can I wouldna let yuh come up hea.
1942		H. Miller Roofs of Paris (1983) 175: The old geezer who keeps her is getting to be a pain in the ass.
1957		Kerouac letter 24 June in Charters II (1999) 44: Mexicans are a pain in the ass in a different way.
1960		C. Cooper Jr Syndicate (1998) 47: You’re getting to be a pain in the ass.
1969		N. Cohn Awopbop. (1970) 224: When they turn profound, they’re a pain in the arse.
1972		Hall & Adelman Gentleman of Leisure 104: But sometimes you’re a pain in the bleep.
1973		E. Droge Patrolman 31: Sometimes they can be a real pain in the balls.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 81: Reggie. Fuckin’ pain in the ass.
1976		A. Bleasdale It’s a Madhouse (1986) 133: You’ve been nothing but a pain in the arse all bloody night long.
1977		J. Sayles Union Dues (1978) 231: Don’t be a pain in the butt.
1978		A. Brink Rumours of Rain 89: Don’t be such a boil-in-the-arse, man.
1982		P. Redmond Tucker and Co 54: Right pain in the bum she is about Canada. Wish she’d bloomin’ well stopped there.
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 126: Jeffrey [was] becoming more and more a pain in the khyber.
1984		‘Derek Raymond’ He Died with His Eyes Open 69: E used to come in here. Pain in the arse. Name of Stan or something.
1989		Pileggi & Scorsese Goodfellas [film script] 48: She’s such a pain in the ass.
1991		F. Mac Anna Last of the High Kings 120: Everyone regarded Cyril as a pain in the hole.
1992		D. Jarman letter 29 Mar. Smiling in Slow Motion (2000) 105: He found gruff Yorkshiremen a pain in the arse.
1993		(con. 1946) S. McAughtry Touch and Go 178: It wasn’t as if I’d always been a pain in the clinkers to him.
1993		T. Rathbone Moderns for Dummies 378: PITA What It means: ‘pain in the ***’ Example: ‘IMHO, people who don’t read the FAQ are a real PITA.’.
1993		K. Lette Foetal Attraction (1994) 10: The trouble with Born Again New Men, is that they’re an even bigger pain in the bum the second time round.
1997		M. Walters Echo 359: Okay, he were a pain in the butt most of the time, but I’d kind of got used to him.
1998		‘Bill E. Goodhead’ Nubile Treat 🌐 If you’re going to be such a pain in the asshole when I try to make conversation, you can just go fuck off!
1998		P. Cornwell Point of Origin (1999) 209: I like you a lot, even if you are a pain in the fucking ass.
1999		N. Cohn Yes We Have No 38: A pain in the arse to one and all.
1999		Indep. Rev. 3 Sept. 8: They’re a pain in the backside.
2000		F. Kellerman Stalker (2001) 309: I’m a real pain in the butt for you, aren’t I?
2001		P. Robinson USS Seawolf 330: ‘Because in the end they could turn out to be a real PITA.’ ‘A what?’ ‘PITA. Pain in the Ass.’.
2003		Bug (Aus.) June 🌐 Queensland to win Spate of Origami 1 and the series, with John Hopoate’s Golden Point to decide whether Guts Ghoul or Wayne Bunny is the bigger pain in the arse.
2004		Simon & Price ‘All Due Respect’ Wire ser. 3 ep. 2 [TV script] Tommy’s a good kid usually, an ass-pain when he wants something.
2011		J.J. Connolly Viva La Madness 9: I find the guests a right pain in the arse.
2016		V. McDermid Out of Bounds (2017) 406: ‘I know I’m a pain in the arse too. But you know I’m right’.
2017		S.M. Jones August Snow [ebook] ‘Mr. Snow is the pain-in-my-ass I’ve occasionally referred to in our morning briefings’.
2019		A. Parks February’s Son 262: ‘Christ, she was a right pain in the hole’.
2019		G. Disher Peace 17: ‘She’s a complete pain the arse’.

3. an annoying object, situation or circumstance; note extrapolation in Gwaltney 1980 cit.

1945		H.M. Robsinson Perfect Round 50: The one unforgettable pain in the arse from the last war is the memory of those loud-mouthed jerks from Texas.
1947		J. Kafka Apple Orchard 55: If I was you, Boss, I wouldn’t stand for no such pain in the ass.
1951		M. Spillane One Lonely Night 87: A car in the city could be a pain in the butt.
1953		F. Paley Rumble on the Docks (1955) 110: This Marchesi case was a pain in the ass.
1958		J. Osborne Epitaph for George Dillon Act II: Life isn’t simple [...] it’s frankly a pain in the arse.
1961		J. Kirkwood There Must Be a Pony! 135: It’s just a royal pain in the kazakis.
1968		N. Heard Howard Street 18: Her and her damned ‘orderly house’ business were a pain in the ass.
1971		T. Thackrey Thief 27: Have to start right at the bottom again [...] and that’s a pain in the fanny.
1980		J.L. Gwaltney Drylongso 33: This bleeding every month is a pure-dee pain where me and the chair come together.
1980		Jackson & Christian Death Row 130: Actually, the TVs are a pain in the ass.
1992		J. Mowry Way Past Cool 55: Be a pain in the butt findin bullets for it.
1996		(con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 103: They [i.e. a rock band] took the whole deal [...] very seriously, and it’s a bloody pain in the arse to be around.
1998		D. Clowes Ghost World 25: You have to act a certain way [...] and it’s a real pain in the ass!
2000		Observer Rev. 9 Apr. 5: Unfortunately, it’s also the thing that makes the whole venture a complete pain in the ass.
2000		T. Fontana ‘A Cock and Balls Story’ Oz ser. 4 ep. 1 [TV script] She didn’t turn up for her shift so they asked me to stay, which is a royal pain in my ass.
2000		P. Cornwell Last Precinct 77: Including a weirdo one that’s going to be a pain in the butt.
2003		N. Griffiths Stump 68: Pain in the fuckin arse, to say the friggin least.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 8: Half a dozen of us trooping round the back-blocks [...] It had been a proper pain in the bum.
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 20: What a pain in the ass it was to have to shop with fives.
2014		Guardian 3 June 🌐 Shifting 80,000 photos to a new platform was just too much of a PITA.
2017		D. Winslow The Force [ebook] It was a pain in the ass.
2023		Rayman & Blau Riker’s 65: ‘I don’t want to move fifteen guys, ’cause I gotta write all the names in the book. And that’s kind of a pain in the ass’.
2023		M. Herron Secret Hours 156: ‘Maybe you remember the symptoms. Constant stream of headaches, constant pains in the arse’.