ill wind that blows no one any good, it's an
it's an ill wind that blows no one any good
proverb Even the most negative or harmful situations usually benefit someone. Thus a situation that benefits no one must be truly bad (and rare). The rain caused flooding, but it may help the farmers. It's an ill wind that blows no one any good.
See also: any, blow, good, ill, no, one, that, wind
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
ill wind that blows no one any good, it's an
A loss or misfortune usually benefits someone. For example, They lost everything when that old shed burned down, but they got rid of a lot of junk as well-it's an ill wind . This expression appeared in John Heywood's 1546 proverb collection and remains so well known that it is often shortened. It also gave rise to a much-quoted pun about the difficulty of playing the oboe, describing the instrument as an ill wind that nobody blows good.
See also: any, blow, ill, no, one, that, wind
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
- burnt
- a burnt child dreads the fire
- teach a man to fish
- village
- it takes a village
- bad workers always blame their tools
- require
- drastic
- drastic times call for drastic measures
- drastic times require drastic measures