fly in the ointment
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The human-headed fly in the ointment is the island itself, which is a supernatural smorgasbord, mostly quiet but waking up just in time to meet the visitors.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
The only fly in the ointment might be what executives say about the rest of this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
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 • Apr. 12, 2024
“The goat is like a fly in the ointment of perfection,” Freeman says.
From New York Times • Dec. 27, 2023
The fly in the ointment was that there was too much work for Jet and not enough for me.
From "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff
