fly in the ointment

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈflaɪ ɪn ði ˈɔɪntm(ə)nt/
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• General-American: /ˈflaɪ ən ði ˈɔɪn(t)m(ə)nt/
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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A reference to Ecclesiastes 10:1 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doeth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.”

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Belarusian: лы́жка дзёгцю ў бо́чцы мёду (lýžka dzjóhcju w bóčcy mjódu) — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Chinese Mandarin: 金玉其外,敗絮其中 /金玉其外 — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Chinese Mandarin: 败絮其中 (jīnyù qíwài, bàixù qízhōng) — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Czech: vada na kráse — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Danish: hår i suppen — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Dutch: haar in de boter — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Finnish: riesa — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Finnish: kauneusvirhe (aesthetically) — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Finnish: kanto kaskessa — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Finnish: mutka matkassa — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• French: couille dans le pâté — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• French: couille dans le potage — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• French: hic — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• French: os — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• French: problème — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• German: Haar in der Suppe — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Polish: łyżka dziegciu w beczce miodu — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Portuguese: jato de água fria — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Serbo-Croatian: муха у јухи — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Serbo-Croatian: мува у супи — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Serbo-Croatian: muha u juhi — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Serbo-Croatian: muva u supi — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Spanish: jarro de agua fría — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Swedish: smolk i glädjebägaren — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant
• Swedish: (en droppe) malört i glädjebägaren — something which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant