sting in the tail
sting in the tail
A disappointing ending to something, such as a story, that is otherwise upbeat and positive. The movie began as a sweet, romantic love story, so the tragic ending was an unexpected sting in the tail.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
a sting in the tail
BRITISHCOMMON If something such as a remark or a plan has a sting in the tail, it seems good at first but contains an unpleasant part at the end. Even the remark about Chomsky being `arguably the most important intellectual alive' had a sting in its tail. The sentence went on: `how can he write such nonsense about international affairs?' The increased tax rate was an unexpected sting in the tail in an otherwise acceptable Budget. Note: This is a reference to a scorpion, which is small and looks harmless, but has a poisonous sting in its tail.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
sting in the tail
an unpleasant or problematic end to something. 1992 Ronald Wright Stolen Continents At last Hendrick came to the sting in the tail of his speech.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a ˌsting in the ˈtail
(informal) an unpleasant feature that comes at the end of a story, an event, etc: Roald Dahl’s stories often have a sting in the tail; that’s why I like them.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017