bane

Related to bane: bane of my existence

a boon and a bane

Something that is both good and bad at once. We're short-staffed right now, so all this work we've gotten lately is both a boon and a bane
See also: and, bane, boon

a boon or a bane

Something that is either good or bad. All this work is either a boon or a bane—we'll find out which when we see if the workers can keep up with it all.
See also: bane, boon

bane of (one's) existence

The source or cause of one's misfortune, unhappiness, frustration, or anxiety, usually used hyperbolically. I swear, this project is the bane of my existence. I've been working on it for months and still haven't made any real progress! Jane has been constantly annoying me all week. She's been the bane of my very existence!
See also: bane, existence, of

boon or bane

Something that be may either good or bad, depending on context. All this work could be either boon or bane—we'll find out once we see if the workers can keep up with it all. Residents in the region are still waiting to find out if the new tax proposal will prove boon or bane.
See also: bane, boon

rickle o' banes

A Scottish phrase used to describe someone who is extremely thin. A "rickle" is a group of something, while "banes" are bones. You've just become a rickle o' banes during your time abroad, so I'm going to make all of your favorite meals now that you're home.
See also: bane

the bane of (one's) life

The source or cause of one's misfortune, unhappiness, frustration, or anxiety, usually used hyperbolically. I swear, this project is the bane of my life. I've been working on it for months and still haven't made any real progress! Jane has been constantly annoying me all week. She's been the bane of my life!
See also: bane, life, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

the bane of somebody’s ˈlife/eˈxistence

a person or thing that makes somebody’s life unpleasant or unhappy: That car is always breaking down! It’s the bane of my life. OPPOSITE: a ray of sunshine
See also: bane, existence, life, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

bane of one's existence, the

The agent of one’s ruin or misery; a thorn in the flesh. The earliest meaning of the noun bane was “murderer” and was so used in Beowulf (ca. a.d. 800). A somewhat later meaning was “poison,” which survives as part of the names of various poisonous plants, such as henbane or wolf’s bane. The current sense, an agent of ruin, dates from the late 1500s. Today it is almost always used hyperbolically, as in “The new secretary loses all my messages; she’s become the bane of my existence.”
See also: bane, of
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a boon and a bane
  • boon
  • boon or bane
  • a boon or a bane
  • get a roasting
  • give somebody/get a roasting
  • (Do you) know what I mean?
  • be nothing to do with (someone or something)
  • be/have nothing to do with somebody/something
  • a streak of bad luck
References in periodicals archive
"I really enjoyed working with Jim on his first novel, 'Bane & Blessing,'" said Lisa Umina, publisher and founder of Halo Publishing International.
The Ultimate Battle Between Good and Evil Hits Bookstores
Prosecutors say that in three statements since the shootings, Bane has claimed Tyson asked him to hide a revolver, and that several of Tyson's friends took turns cleaning it, and scratching off the serial number with a screwdriver.
MURDER WITNESS TO TESTIFY
Bane helps market his company and the artists he represents by designing all promotional materials himself.
Robert Bane Editions
"One of TechWave's strengths is that it has stayed very dynamic," explains Bane of the Yankee Group.
LEADERS OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
Will the PASARR process prove to be a boon or a bane? Will it achieve its objective of promoting more appropriate placements for persons with mental health treatment needs or will it merely compound the already frustrating snarl of paperwork and administrative regulations confronting nursing home administrators?
PASARR: what you should know about the new mental health requirements
She added: "The two of them are just inseparable and since Bane disappeared TJ just hasn't settled at all.
Please return my son's pet dog.. he's devastated; Mum of autistic boy in plea to thieves
This time more descriptions have been revealed regarding the "Darth Bane" character who is described as the "man in black."
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens': Darth Bane In Tatooine, Character Description Leakeda[euro]"Report
Raleigh, NC, October 23, 2013 --(PR.com)-- The Chef's Academy, the Culinary Division of Harrison College, a 110-year-old, private sector college serving more than 4,000 students worldwide, has announced that Chef Jeffrey Bane, Morrisville campus president and national dean, will join The American Culinary Federation (ACF) North Carolina Board of Directors beginning in January 2014.
American Culinary Federation Names Jeffrey Bane of the Chef's Academy to NC Board of Directors
To celebrate, you can get an incredible exclusive poster set featuring Batman, Catwoman and Bane, all for free - you simply need to pay postage.
3 FREE DARK KNIGHT POSTERS! THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Freshman Michael Bane of North Grafton added five goals and an assist, senior Devan Maher of Leominster chipped in with three goals and junior Steve Delahanty and junior Nicholas Kokich each had a goal and an assist for the Bison.
PRESS BOX
Bane (public policy and management, Harvard U., US) and Zenteno (sociology, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Mexico) bring together scholars from the United States and Mexico to examine the North American experience with macro-level policies and poverty.
Poverty and poverty alleviation strategies in North America
Coventry Bears: Hyslop, Hereshny, Pratt, Ashford, Power, McBride, Clendenning- Fenton, Howitt, Smith, Booth, Wright, Jarvis, Bane; bench from Grime, Robinson, Stevens, Sutcliffe, Barron, Watts.
Bears aim for revenge; RUGBY LEAGUE
Carlton Advisory Services executives Neil Bane and Ruth Barone arranged and closed $21 million of A/B structure financing on behalf of a New York City-based investor from a "one-stop-shop" portfolio lender at 88% of total cost for "Kettering Tower," the tallest and largest building in Dayton, Ohio.
NYC investor gets Carlton loan in Ohio
The long, strong stems make several different kinds of leopard's bane first-class, both for cutting and as border plants, where they mix specially well with the green bracts of euphorbia.
Plant of the week
Avon and Somerset police spokesman Darren Bane said the Austin Montego went through a red light before colliding with a white panel van.
Police pursuit leads to crash for boy, 13