sting in the tail
Unexpected final blow
A sting in the tail is an unexpected unpleasant element at the end of something that seemed harmless or positive.
A story has a sting in the tail when it ends with a twist that changes everything.
A contract might have a sting in the tail—buried clauses that hurt you later: The deal looked generous until we discovered the sting in the tail.
From the image of a scorpion, harmless-looking until it strikes.
- bitter pillDifficult thing to accept
- venomInjected animal poison
- bitePierce with teeth
- twistRotating motion or surprise
- unexpectedNot anticipated beforehand
poetic justice · surprise · conclusion · double-edged sword · scorpion · kick in the teeth · boomerang effect · hidden agenda · fine print · wolf in sheep's clothing · final blow · denouement · curveball · Trojan horse · rude awakening · ending · bitter end · last laugh
sting in the tailhappy ending
Story concludes well
fairy-tale ending · silver lining · pleasant surprise · parting gift · cherry on top
sting in the tailpleasant surprise
Unanticipated positive occurrence
blessing in disguise · windfall · stroke of luck · serendipity · gift from the gods
sting in the tailtwist of fate
Unexpected reversal of fortune
parting gift · final blessing · saving grace · deus ex machina
sting, tail, stings, stinging, stung, stinger, stingers, tails, tailed