Idiom
a fly in the ointment
Meaning
A small flaw or problem that spoils something otherwise good.
Examples
“The trip was perfect; the only fly in the ointment was the rain on the last day.”
“The offer looked ideal, but there was a fly in the ointment: the contract ran for five years.”
“Everyone loved the merger on paper, yet one fly in the ointment — two incompatible payroll systems — quietly cost more than the deal was ever meant to save.”
Examples
simple
“The trip was perfect; the only fly in the ointment was the rain on the last day.”
contextual
“The offer looked ideal, but there was a fly in the ointment: the contract ran for five years.”
complex
“Everyone loved the merger on paper, yet one fly in the ointment — two incompatible payroll systems — quietly cost more than the deal was ever meant to save.”
Origin
The phrase grows out of Ecclesiastes 10:1: "Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour." A single dead fly, the Teacher observes, is enough to turn a whole jar of costly perfumed oil rancid.
The verse goes on to apply the image to reputation — a little folly can outweigh great wisdom and honour, just as a small corruption ruins something valuable.
The exact phrase "a fly in the ointment" is a later English coinage distilled from the verse, and it kept the underlying idea intact: one small defect can spoil an otherwise excellent thing. A fly in the ointment is the minor snag that mars a good plan, a nice day, or a promising arrangement.
Stories
Wisdom & Poetry · See all Biblical origin
Job, Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes on how to live.
nothing new under the sun — Human affairs endlessly repeat; what seems novel has all happened before.
the patience of Job — Extraordinary endurance and calm in the face of prolonged suffering.
by the skin of your teeth — Just barely
pride comes before a fall — Arrogance and overconfidence tend to precede a downfall.
my cup runneth over — A feeling of having blessings or good fortune in overwhelming abundance.
the valley of the shadow of death — A time or place of extreme danger, fear, or hardship.
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated