Fly in the ointment: Difference between revisions
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For five centuries, 'a fly in the ointment' has meant a small defect that spoils something valuable or is a source of annoyance. The modern version thus suggests that something unpleasant may come or has come to light in a proposition or condition that is almost too pleasing; that there is something wrong hidden, unexpected somewhere. |
For five centuries, 'a fly in the ointment' has meant a small defect that spoils something valuable or is a source of annoyance. The modern version thus suggests that something unpleasant may come or has come to light in a proposition or condition that is almost too pleasing; that there is something wrong hidden, unexpected somewhere. |
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This idiom has been used in the title of some books: ''The Fly in the Ointment: 70 Fascinating Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Life'' by [[Joseph A. Schwarcz]], ''The Fly In The Ointment'' by [[V.S. Pritchett]] and ''The Fly in the Ointment'' by [[Alice Thomas Ellis]]. In the film ''[[Die Hard]]'', the main character John McClane ([[Bruce Willis]]) refers to himself as "Just a fly in the ointment, Hans. The monkey in the wrench. The pain in the ass." |
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==Sources== |
==Sources== |
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Revision as of 21:24, 12 July 2016
In English, the phrase fly in the ointment is an idiomatic expression for a drawback, especially one that was not at first apparent, e.g.
- We had a cookstove, beans, and plates; the fly in the ointment was the lack of a can opener.
The likely source is a phrase in the King James Bible:[1]
- Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour. (Ecclesiastes 10:1)
For five centuries, 'a fly in the ointment' has meant a small defect that spoils something valuable or is a source of annoyance. The modern version thus suggests that something unpleasant may come or has come to light in a proposition or condition that is almost too pleasing; that there is something wrong hidden, unexpected somewhere.
Sources
- The Fly in the Ointment: 70 Fascinating Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Life by Joseph A. Schwarcz, Ecw Press, May 28, 2004.
- 2107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings & Expressions from White Elephants to a Song and Dance by Charles Earle Funk (Galahad Book, New York, 1993
- Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).
References
- ^ "A Fly in the Ointment", commentary at website of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco