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

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.

From Science Daily

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

From New York Times

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.

From Reuters

"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.

From Reuters

“To me, the fly in the ointment is Greg Norman,” Krotee said.

From Washington Post

Related Words

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