ball and chain vs encumbrance

ball and chain

noun
  • Anything that restricts one's freedom or opportunities. 

  • One's wife, as a symbol of restraint. 

  • A heavy iron ball attached to a prisoner's leg by a chain as a means of restraint. 

encumbrance

noun
  • Something that encumbers; a burden that must be carried. 

  • An interest, right, burden, or liability attached to a title of land, such as a lien or mortgage. 

  • One who is dependent on another. 

verb
  • To apply an encumbrance to (property, etc.). 

How often have the words ball and chain and encumbrance occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )