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silver lining

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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Originating in John Milton's poem “Comus”;[1] see 1634 quotation. The proverb every cloud has a silver lining is an allusion to the relevant passage.

Noun

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silver lining (plural silver linings)

  1. (figurative) A favorable aspect or prospect of a mostly unfavorable event or situation.
    • 1634, John Milton, Comus:
      Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud / Turn forth her silver lining on the night? / I did not err: there does a sable cloud / Turn forth her silver lining on the night, / And casts a gleam over this tufted grove.
    • 2025 February 19, Chris Howe, “Euston: a work in progress”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 45:
      The only silver lining for businesses and local residents was that there was at least an end in sight, and that the new station, once built, would enhance the area and provide improved east-west access for pedestrians.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ “every cloud has a silver lining” in Stuart Berg Flexner and Doris Flexner, Wise Words and Wives' Tales: The Origins, Meanings, and Time-Honored Wisdom of Proverbs and Folk Sayings, Olde and New, Avon Books (1993), →ISBN, page 52. Quoted in “Re: Every cloud has a silver lining”, phrases.org.uk.