a blessing in disguise
An unfortunate event or situation that results in an unforeseen positive outcome. Running late for work turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I would have been in the middle of that big multi-car pileup had I left the house on time. A: "Being laid off turned out to be a blessing in disguise? Really?" B: "Oh, yeah. It gave me space to think about what I really want to be doing, and I ended up going back to school for my real passion—architecture." This will all work out, you'll see. I'm certain it's a blessing in disguise.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
blessing in disguise
Fig. something that at first seems bad, but later turns out to be beneficial. Tony's motorcycle accident was a blessing in disguise, because he got enough insurance money from the other driver to make a down payment on a house. Dad's illness was a blessing in disguise; it brought the family together for the first time in years.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
blessing in disguise
A misfortune that unexpectedly turns into good fortune, as in Missing the train was a blessing in disguise, for if I hadn't, I wouldn't have met my future wife . [Mid-1700s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
a blessing in disguise
COMMON If an event is a blessing in disguise, it causes problems at first, but later brings greater advantages. Franklin's illness proved a blessing in disguise, for it gave him strength and courage which he had not had before. The defeat might be a blessing in disguise — she now avoids a quarter final clash with America's Linda Harvey-Wild. Other observers feel the split may be a blessing in disguise for the organization.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
a blessing in disguise
an apparent misfortune that eventually has good results.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a blessing in disˈguise
a thing that seems bad, unpleasant, etc. at first but that has advantages in the end: Not getting that job was a blessing in disguise, as the firm went out of business only a few months later.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
blessing in disguise, a
Good luck coming out of bad; a misfortune unexpectedly turning into a good thing. “E’en crosses from his sov’reign hand are blessings in disguise,” wrote the eighteenth-century poet James Hervey, “cross” here meaning “a cross to bear,” or burden. The phrase has been a cliché for about a century.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer