“Want to go out drinking after work?”
“I’ll have to ask my wife.”
“I see. How is the old ball and chain doing, anyway?”
We have an idea that a man loses his freedom when he gets married. So you might occasionally hear his wife referred to as his “ball and chain”, like the heavy ball chained to the leg of an imprisoned criminal so that he can’t escape.
「仕事の後、飲みにいかない？」
「妻に飲みにいっていいか聞かないと」
「なるほど。それはそうと、奥さん元気？」
男性は結婚すると自由がなくなるという意見があります。なので、たまに妻のことを捕まった犯罪者が逃げないように用いる「足かせ」に例え、 ball and chain（鉄の球と鎖）と言います
