a blessing in disguise

Related to a blessing in disguise: a chip on your shoulder

a blessing in disguise

An unfortunate event or situation that results in an unforeseen positive outcome. Running late for work turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I would have been in the middle of that big multi-car pileup had I left the house on time.
See also: blessing, disguise
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

blessing in disguise

Fig. something that at first seems bad, but later turns out to be beneficial. Tony's motorcycle accident was a blessing in disguise, because he got enough insurance money from the other driver to make a down payment on a house. Dad's illness was a blessing in disguise; it brought the family together for the first time in years.
See also: blessing, disguise
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

blessing in disguise

A misfortune that unexpectedly turns into good fortune, as in Missing the train was a blessing in disguise, for if I hadn't, I wouldn't have met my future wife . [Mid-1700s]
See also: blessing, disguise
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a blessing in disguise

COMMON If an event is a blessing in disguise, it causes problems at first, but later brings greater advantages. Franklin's illness proved a blessing in disguise, for it gave him strength and courage which he had not had before. The defeat might be a blessing in disguise — she now avoids a quarter final clash with America's Linda Harvey-Wild. Other observers feel the split may be a blessing in disguise for the organization.
See also: blessing, disguise
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a blessing in disguise

an apparent misfortune that eventually has good results.
See also: blessing, disguise
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a blessing in disˈguise

a thing that seems bad, unpleasant, etc. at first but that has advantages in the end: Not getting that job was a blessing in disguise, as the firm went out of business only a few months later.
See also: blessing, disguise
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

blessing in disguise, a

Good luck coming out of bad; a misfortune unexpectedly turning into a good thing. “E’en crosses from his sov’reign hand are blessings in disguise,” wrote the eighteenth-century poet James Hervey, “cross” here meaning “a cross to bear,” or burden. The phrase has been a cliché for about a century.
See also: blessing
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • blessing
  • blessing in disguise
  • blessing in disguise, a
  • disguise
  • be a blessing in disguise
  • a mixed blessing
  • mixed blessing
  • mixed blessing, a
  • go from zero to hero
  • least said soonest mended
References in periodicals archive
The couple have now built a new business from scratch at the Black Bull Inn in Frosterley, Weardale ( and are even beginning to see the loss of the coffee shop as a blessing in disguise.
'For me the delay was a blessing in disguise really because it's been a very exhausting last six weeks and on Thursday I did nothing,' said Campbell, who held off Tiger Woods to win his first major title five weeks ago.
and Zambia Brown of "itsy-bitsy, do-nothin', countrified" Deacons Neck, South Carolina, in A Blessing in Disguise. An American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists," A Blessing in Disguise is "a timely book that speaks to the subject of drugs and crime in a rural Southern town," wrote School Library Journal, "and a valuable addition to most collections." The ALA Booklist called Thank You, Dr.
Maybe getting the runs from olestra is a blessing in disguise. People who can eat olestra without suffering stomach troubles could be snacking their way to a higher risk of cancer, heart disease, and blindness.
FORMER Roscommon All-Star Paul Earley says losing home advantage for the Connacht final replay could be a blessing in disguise.
According to news.com.au, Kuala Lumpur-based journalist Ismail Amsyar called MH370 a blessing in disguise on Twitter.
DAVE BOWMAN reckons the referees' shock strike could turn out to be a blessing in disguise - because it's time foreign and English whistlers were given a chance to rule the roost in Scotland.
0 GABRIEL AGBONLAHOR believes Aston Villa's early European exit could prove "a blessing in disguise" and allow Martin O'Neill's side to push for a Champions League place.
The current troubles may come to be seen as a blessing in disguise if the end result is a more sustainable business environment.
Cliffe House manager is Kevin Fitzpatrick said: "It turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise."
BILL Clinton's heart scare was a blessing in disguise and a warning to everyone, his wife said yesterday.
'But it could have been a blessing in disguise because it's given me a full month to get ready for England.'
But Westwood said: ``I felt my technique was becoming flawed and I was getting by on adrenal in and the knack of winning, so maybe these three years have been a blessing in disguise.''
"In a way that defeat could be a blessing in disguise because we were getting carried away after the Feyenoord and Southampton games," he said.
Your Pension magazine argues that the miserly state pension in Britain is a blessing in disguise because it has encouraged private investment.