What does the idiom fly in the ointment mean?
In English, the phrase fly in the ointment is an idiomatic expression for a drawback, especially one that was not at first apparent, e.g. The likely source is a phrase in the King James Bible: Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour. (Ecclesiastes 10:1)Click to see full answer….
In English, the phrase fly in the ointment is an idiomatic expression for a drawback, especially one that was not at first apparent, e.g. The likely source is a phrase in the King James Bible: Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour. (Ecclesiastes 10:1)Click to see full answer. Similarly one may ask, what does the idiom fly off the handle mean? Definition of fly off the handle informal. : to lose control of one’s emotions : to become very angry He tends to fly off the handle when people disagree with him.Likewise, what might someone say is in the ointment when describing a minor irritation that spoils their enjoyment of something? a fly in the ointment a minor irritation or other factor that spoils the success or enjoyment of something. This expression alludes to Ecclesiastes 10:1: ‘Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour’. Similarly, what does Pi in the Sky mean? An empty wish or promise, as in His dream of being hired as a sports editor proved to be pie in the sky. This expression was first recorded in 1911 in a rallying song of a union, the International Workers of the World (or “Wobblies”): “Work and pray, live on hay, you’ll get pie in the sky when you die.”What does fly in the buttermilk mean?fly in the buttermilk (plural flies in the buttermilk) (colloquial) A black person in a predominantly white group of people.
