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fly in the ointment

Something which ruins or spoils everything else; a nuisance or problem; an unpleasant or disagreeable detail.

Etymology:

  • A reference to Ecclesiastes 10:1 in the Bible.
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“

It's a lovely plan. The fly in the ointment is Andrew Ackner.

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Submitted on September 01, 2009

Additional definitions for 'fly in the ointment':

Fly in the OintmentA small disturbance or irritation which can spoil ones pleasure and excitement
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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to fly in the ointment

fly off at a tangentfly byfly the coopFly Off the Handlebar flycrane flya fly by nightfly out of the trapsFly the Coopfly bydon't drive faster than your guardian a…fly in the face offly like a rockfly off the shelves

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    "fly in the ointment." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/fly-in-the-ointment_3675>.

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