FLY IN THE OINTMENT and EAT YOUR WORDS:

FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

FLY IN THE OINTMENT and EAT YOUR WORDS:

  

FLY IN THE OINTMENT:

 

Meaning:

 

A slight flaw that detracts from value, completeness, or enjoyment – anything, especially a little thing, that reduces or destroys the value, effectiveness, or usefulness of something – a fault-line, drawback, imperfection, defect, deficiency or blemish that detracts from something positive – a small unpleasant matter that spoils

 

If someone or something is a FLY IN THE OINTMENT, they prevent a situation from being as successful or happy as it would be without them.

 

A person or thing that stops a situation, an activity, a plan, etc. from being as good or successful as it could be.

 

A trifling annoyance that spoils one’s enjoyment.

   

Example sentences:

 

The filling up of this form is the one FLY IN THE OINTMENT at the moment because it takes too long.

 

A real FLY IN THE OINTMENT, however, is the lack of progress in bringing decision-making closer to the people.

 

He is just trying to put a FLY IN THE OINTMENT with a new clause in the agreement.

 

However, the FLY IN THE OINTMENT is last week’s decision to close the urgent treatment centre at night.

 

The new library is wonderful but there’s a FLY IN THE OINTMENT in that their catalogue isn’t complete yet.

 

The only FLY IN THE OINTMENT is his chronic lack of concentration that delays completion of his art work.

 

We lead a very happy life here; the only FLY IN THE OINTMENT is that there’s too much traffic on our road.

 

The product has a good market now. But the FLY IN THE OINTMENT is in balancing ‘supply and demand’ in the days ahead.

 

Now the FLY IN THE OINTMENT in getting international loans is the sudden rise in interest rates.

 

The FLY IN THE OINTMENT, as is so often the case with Apple, is that you don’t get much choice.

 

  

EAT YOUR WORDS:

 

Meaning:

 

To have to take back what you said - to admit humbly that you were wrong – to publicly declare that something you said was wrong

 

Words come out of your mouth. Food goes in to be eaten. If you have said something that turns out to be not true, maybe you wish you could take back those wrong words, put them back into your mouth, and eat them. A similar expression is ‘EAT CROW’, but ‘EAT YOUR WORDS’ makes more sense.

 

To retract, regret, or feel foolish about what one has previously said.

 

Example sentences:

 

My teacher cursed me that I would fail all of my final tests. Now that I have passed all, he has to EAT HIS WORDS.

 

Now, they have to EAT THEIR WORDS. For, they swore that our team being the underdog would never win the tournament, but we have now proved them wrong.

 

You think I can’t get on A in this class, but I will make you EAT YOUR WORDS when we get our report cards

 

After my negative prediction for the season, I certainly ATE MY WORDS when the team started out undefeated.

 

He was very doubtful about our chances of success but he will be EATING HIS WORDS now.

 

The Company’s Chairman has had to EAT HIS WORDS about being recession-proof.

 

Proverb:

 

சொல் வல்லனை வெல்லல் அரிது.

It is difficult to overcome the eloquent.

 

மூங்கில் இலை மேலே தூங்கு பனி நீரே.

Thou art a dew drop depending from the leaf of a bamboo.

(R.SAMPATH)

21/2/2022