fly in the ointment

Cultural  

1. A drawback, especially one that was not at first apparent: “Sharon's lack of experience turned out to be the fly in the ointment when she applied for the job.”

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fly in the ointment Idioms  

1. A drawback or detrimental factor. For example, The new library is wonderful but there's a fly in the ointment: their catalog isn't complete yet. This term probably alludes to a biblical proverb (Ecclesiastes 10:1): “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour.” [c. 1600]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fly in the ointment

There is a fly in the ointment of these historical averages, however — a big one.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

"The big fly in the ointment is sewage coming into the canal," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

The human-headed fly in the ointment is the island itself, which is a supernatural smorgasbord, mostly quiet but waking up just in time to meet the visitors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026

The only fly in the ointment might be what executives say about the rest of this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026

The fly in the ointment was that there was too much work for Jet and not enough for me.

From "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff

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Related Words

• defect
• deficiency
• difficulty
• disadvantage
• failing
• fault
• flaw
• hindrance
• hitch
• impediment
• imperfection
• inconvenience
• obstacle
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• snag
• stumbling block
• weakness

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