Etymology:
- This phrase finds its origin in Bible (Ecclesiastics 10:1). Many years ago, people believed that a small annoyance can sometimes cause a big trouble and eventually can ruin things. Ointment means a creamy substance which is used to soften or heal up the skin. Any ointment gets ruined when a fly is found in it.
- 5 Views
“
The people were going crazy in the musical concert, but sudden lights off were the fly in the ointment.
Submitted on February 25, 2019
Additional definitions for 'Fly in the Ointment':
| fly in the ointment | Something which ruins or spoils everything else; a nuisance or problem; an unpleasant or disagreeable detail. |
Translation
Find a translation for the Fly in the Ointment phrase in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Nearby phrases
Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to Fly in the Ointment
How to pronounce this phrase?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this Fly in the Ointment definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Fly in the Ointment." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/fly-in-the-ointment_44671>.
Powered by CITE.ME
Discuss this Fly in the Ointment phrase with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In