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fly in the ointment

fly in the oint·ment
F f

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [flahy in stressed th ee oint-muh nt]
    • /flaɪ ɪn stressed ði ˈɔɪnt mənt/
    • /flaɪ ɪn ðə ˈɔɪnt.mənt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [flahy in stressed th ee oint-muh nt]
    • /flaɪ ɪn stressed ði ˈɔɪnt mənt/

Definitions of fly in the ointment words

  • noun plural fly in the ointment Also called true fly. any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially of the family Muscidae, as the common housefly. 1
  • noun plural fly in the ointment any of various winged insects, as the mayfly or firefly. 1
  • noun plural fly in the ointment Angling. a fishhook dressed with hair, feathers, silk, tinsel, etc., so as to resemble an insect or small fish, for use as a lure or bait. 1
  • noun plural fly in the ointment (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Musca. 1
  • idioms fly in the ointment fly in the ointment, a detrimental factor; detraction: If there's one fly in the ointment, it's that there may not be the money to finish the job. 1
  • noun fly in the ointment a slight flaw that detracts from value, completeness, or enjoyment 0
See all 8 definitions of fly in the ointment

Information block about the term

Origin of fly in the ointment

First appearance:

before 950
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 950; Middle English flīe, Old English flēoge, flȳge; cognate with Middle Dutch vliege (Dutch vlieg), Old High German flioga (German Fliege); akin to fly1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Fly in the ointment

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Fly in the ointment

fly in the ointment popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

fly in the ointment usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for fly in the ointment

noun fly in the ointment

  • snag — a tree or part of a tree held fast in the bottom of a river, lake, etc., and forming an impediment or danger to navigation.
  • deception — Deception is the act of deceiving someone or the state of being deceived by someone.
  • conundrum — A conundrum is a problem or puzzle which is difficult or impossible to solve.
  • joke — something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, as a witticism, a short and amusing anecdote, or a prankish act: He tells very funny jokes. She played a joke on him.
  • puzzle — a toy, problem, or other contrivance designed to amuse by presenting difficulties to be solved by ingenuity or patient effort.
All 65 Synonyms of fly in the ointment

Antonyms for fly in the ointment

noun fly in the ointment

  • advantage — An advantage is something that puts you in a better position than other people.
  • benefit — The benefit of something is the help that you get from it or the advantage that results from it.
  • perfection — the state or quality of being or becoming perfect.
  • satisfaction — an act of satisfying; fulfillment; gratification.
  • strong point — Bridge. a long suit that contains high cards.
All 19 Antonyms of fly in the ointment

See also

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