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fly in the ointment

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See synonyms for fly in the ointment on Thesaurus.com

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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Words nearby fly in the ointment

flying tackle, Flying Tigers, flying wedge, flying wing, fly in the face of, fly in the ointment, flyleaf, fly line, flyman, fly net, Flynn
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Words related to fly in the ointment

snag, defect, deficiency, difficulty, failing, fault, flaw, handicap, hindrance, hitch, impediment, imperfection, inconvenience, obstacle, shortcoming, stumbling block, weakness, barrier, complication, deterrent

Other Idioms and Phrases with fly in the ointment

fly in the ointment

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]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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