dead weight

Noun

• Unremitting heavy weight that does not move.
• The largest weight of cargo a ship is able to carry; i.e, the weight of a ship when fully loaded minus its weight when empty.
• Dead load.
• That which is useless or excess; that which slows something down.

Adverb

• With just enough weight for a ball to drop into a pocket, or come to rest in a precisely determined position.