|
|
Definition of Fly in the ointment
1. Noun. An inconvenience that detracts from the usefulness of something.
Definition of Fly in the ointment
1. Noun. (idiomatic) Something which ruins or spoils everything else; a nuisance or problem; an unpleasant or disagreeable detail. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Lexicographical Neighbors of Fly In The Ointment
Literary usage of Fly in the ointment
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Reviewers Reviewed: A Supplement to the "War Between the States," Etc by Alexander Hamilton Stephens (1872)
"This, when so said by me, is what it seems was ' the dead fly in the ointment'
of that speech, so sadly ' marring its general perfume. ..."
2. A Constitutional View of the Late War Between the States: Its Causes by Alexander Hamilton Stephens (1868)
"This, when so said by me, is what it seems was '" the dead fly in the ointment"
of that speech ; so sadly " marring its general perfume. ..."
3. The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States by Horace Greeley (1864)
"This was frank and noble ; yet there was a dead fly in the ointment, which sadly
marred its perfume. That was a distinct avowal of the right of the State to ..."
4. The Windsor Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women (1908)
"It isn't half bad," admitted his Lordship. '• Still, there's always a fly in the
ointment. I call her Thr Woman in White, after the title of Wilkie ..."
Other Resources:
