fly in the ointment

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.”

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

"This must start to be calmed down," Mr Ives wrote in a note, adding that it "put a fly in the ointment of the Trump regulatory framework going forward".

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But there is still one fly in the ointment: researchers have not yet succeeded in reproducing all the crucial details of the observations in model calculations.

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“The goat is like a fly in the ointment of perfection,” Freeman says.

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Netanyahu, who has often used the U.N. podium to warn against Iran, described his country's arch-foe as the "fly in the ointment" that would try to wreck a deal with Saudi Arabia.

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"The drop in inflation in the U.S. is encouraging, although the fly in the ointment is that this drop is largely coming from energy and goods prices," the report said.

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Related Words

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