a boon and a bane
Something that is both good and bad at once. We're short-staffed right now, so all this work we've gotten lately is both a boon and a bane It's sweet that my parents showered the kids with gifts on Christmas, but we can't fit any more toys in their playroom, so it's both a boon and a bane. Running is both a boon and bane for me—the endorphins are great, but I really feel my old knee injury the next day.
a boon or a bane
Something that is either good or bad. All this work is either a boon or a bane—we'll find out which when we see if the workers can keep up with it all. All these toys from my parents will prove to be a boon or a bane depending on how much the kids fight over them. Running is usually a boon or a bane for me—I love the endorphins, but I sometimes really feel my old knee injury the next day.
bane of (one's) existence
The source or cause of one's misfortune, unhappiness, frustration, or anxiety, usually used hyperbolically. I swear, this project is the bane of my existence. I've been working on it for months and still haven't made any real progress! Jane has been constantly annoying me all week. She's been the bane of my very existence! Please don't mention Sam to her—they had a really acrimonious breakup and now he's pretty much the bane of her existence.
boon or bane
Something that be may either good or bad, depending on context. All this work could be either boon or bane—we'll find out once we see if the workers can keep up with it all. Residents in the region are still waiting to find out if the new tax proposal will prove boon or bane. If we take a loan from your dad, will it be boon or bane? Like, yeah, we'll be able to buy a house sooner, but is he going to guilt us about taking his money?
rickle o' banes
A Scottish phrase used to describe someone who is extremely thin. A "rickle" is a group of something, while "banes" are bones. You've just become a rickle o' banes during your time abroad, so I'm going to make all of your favorite meals now that you're home.
the bane of (one's) life
The source or cause of one's misfortune, unhappiness, frustration, or anxiety, usually used hyperbolically. I swear, this project is the bane of my life. I've been working on it for months and still haven't made any real progress! Jane has been constantly annoying me all week. She's been the bane of my life!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
bane of one's existence, the
The agent of one’s ruin or misery; a thorn in the flesh. The earliest meaning of the noun bane was “murderer” and was so used in Beowulf (ca. a.d. 800). A somewhat later meaning was “poison,” which survives as part of the names of various poisonous plants, such as henbane or wolf’s bane. The current sense, an agent of ruin, dates from the late 1500s. Today it is almost always used hyperbolically, as in “The new secretary loses all my messages; she’s become the bane of my existence.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer