blessing

be a blessing in disguise

to be something which has a good effect, although at first it seemed that it would be bad or not lucky. Losing my job turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it forced me to think carefully about my future.

See also: disguise

be a mixed blessing

something that has bad effects as well as advantages. Beauty can be a mixed blessing. It gets you a lot of attention but people are less likely to take you seriously.

See also: mixed

count your blessings

to think about the good things in your life, often to stop yourself becoming too unhappy about the bad things. School children today should count their blessings. At least they're not beaten for talking in class as we were.

See also: count

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a blessing in disguise

something that at first appears to be bad or unlucky but is actually good. Losing my job was a blessing in disguise — I never would have found this one if it hadn't happened.

See also: disguise

count your blessings

to realize your good luck. Seven climbers are counting their blessings after surviving a sudden snowstorm yesterday on Mt. Rainier.

See also: count