Idiom
any port in a storm
Meaning
One should accept any passable option when time is of the essence in an adverse situation.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I hate this hotel, but any port in a storm.”
“The rain is heavy, so this small bus stop is any port in a storm.”
“The train was cancelled, so we took a slow bus; any port in a storm when you need to get home.”
“I usually prefer organic food, but since I was starving and nothing else was open, the greasy burger was any port in a storm.”
“He does not like his new boss, but he took the job because he needed money urgently; it was a case of any port in a storm.”
“With the blizzard worsening and no other shelter nearby, the hikers viewed the abandoned cabin as any port in a storm.”
Examples
simple
“I hate this hotel, but any port in a storm.”
“The rain is heavy, so this small bus stop is any port in a storm.”
contextual
“The train was cancelled, so we took a slow bus; any port in a storm when you need to get home.”
“I usually prefer organic food, but since I was starving and nothing else was open, the greasy burger was any port in a storm.”
“He does not like his new boss, but he took the job because he needed money urgently; it was a case of any port in a storm.”
complex
“With the blizzard worsening and no other shelter nearby, the hikers viewed the abandoned cabin as any port in a storm.”
Origin
The expression is likely derived from an earlier figurative application of the phrase "port in a (or the) storm" to denote a source of refuge during unfavourable conditions. A use of this imagery is recorded as early as 1657. The construction suggests a maritime necessity wherein the quality of the harbour is secondary to the immediate requirement of surviving the weather.
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated