Look up fly in the ointment in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Not to be confused with Flying ointment.
For other uses, see Fly in the Ointment.
In English, the phrase fly in the ointment is an idiomatic expression for a drawback, especially one that was not at first apparent, for example: "We had a cookstove, beans, and plates; the fly in the ointment was the lack of a can opener."
The likely source is a phrase in the biblical book of Ecclesiastes:
Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour. (Ecclesiastes 10:1)
For four centuries, a fly in the ointment has meant a small defect that spoils something valuable or is a source of annoyance. The modern version thus suggests that something unpleasant may come or has come to light in a proposition or condition that is almost too pleasing; that there is something wrong hidden, unexpected somewhere.
Example: "Our hospital is such an oasis of kindness and efficiency, but our orthopedic department is like a fly in the ointment."
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