trouble in paradise

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Noun

trouble in paradise (usually uncountable, plural troubles in paradise)

1. (idiomatic) An unexpected problem in a supposedly positive situation, especially in a marital or romantic relationship.

   My wife wasn't in the best of moods on our honeymoon last week. ― Trouble in paradise?

   • 1969 February 14, “New Plays: Pilgrims' Regress”, in Time, retrieved 10 July 2014:

     Chaucer's people are not paralyzed by self-consciousness in the act of love. They possess none of modern man's neurasthenic haste to import trouble in paradise.

   • 1996 December 10, Clifton Brown, “Challenge for the Bulls Is to Repair the Cracks”, in New York Times, retrieved 10 July 2014:

     Is there trouble in paradise? Maybe not, but it will be interesting to see whether the Bulls can make it through another season without serious internal problems.

   • 2013 October 5, Tom Russo, “Reasons to get ‘Stuck in Love’”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 10 July 2014:

     [H]e’ll keep on peeping through her window, anxious for some glimpse of trouble in paradise with the new boyfriend.

Usage notes

• Sometimes used with a tone of sarcasm or mockery.

Translations

unexpected problem in a supposedly positive situation

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 同床異夢 / 同床异梦 (zh) (tóngchuángyìmèng), 貌合神離 / 貌合神离 (zh) (màohéshénlí), 金玉其外，敗絮其中 / 金玉其外，败絮其中 (zh) (jīnyù qíwài, bàixù qízhōng)

• Finnish: käärme paratiisissa
• French: y avoir de l’eau dans le gaz (fr)
• Hebrew: צרות בגן עדן
• Norwegian: trøbbel i paradis
• Polish: kłopoty w raju m pl
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: ^{(please verify)} Беда в раю (Beda v raju)
• Spanish: problema en el paraíso f