therein lies the rub
There's the difficulty
Therein lies the rub identifies the core difficulty or obstacle in a situation: The plan sounds perfect, but therein lies the rub—we have no funding.
The phrase comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet, where "rub" meant an impediment in the game of bowls.
It typically follows an explanation of something that seems straightforward, introducing the complication that makes it not so simple.
- to be or not to beExistential dilemma phrased dramatically
- catch-22Paradoxical no-win situation
- HamletDanish prince's revenge tragedy
- tragic flawDefect causing protagonist's downfall
- moral dilemmaChoice testing one's values
Shakespearean tragedy · stumbling block · soliloquy · Achilles' heel · paradoxes · devil in the details · dilemmas · trade-offs · Elizabethan drama · double-edged sword · Bard of Avon · Pandora's box · fine print · elephant in the room · classic literature · constraints · red tape · fly in the ointment
therein lies the rubproblem solved
that's the ticket · easy fix · silver bullet · easy as pie · no problem
therein lies the rubnothing to it
Requiring zero effort
smooth sailing · no strings attached · no problem · plain and simple · plain sailing
there, herein, wherein, thereon, thereby, thereafter, therefore, thereabout, thereabouts