English Idioms

2017-09-29 Every cloud has a silver lining – We Say, You Say

The Experiment is a collection of short series that are a little different to our usual programmes – but still help you improve your English.

Our first series, We say – You say, shows how YOUR language can help you remember English expressions.

We Say – You Say

We say…

‘Every cloud has a silver lining’ to mean in every bad situation something good exists, even though it may not always be obvious.

Examples:

Despite losing the race, he’s improved his fitness and gained more experience – so every cloud has a silver lining.

Your boyfriend may have dumped you but think of the freedom you’ve got now – you see, every cloud has a silver lining!

Sian
We say ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ to mean in every bad situation something good exists, even though it may not always be obvious.

Examples
Despite losing the race, he’s improved his fitness and gained more experience – so every cloud has a silver lining.

Your boyfriend may have dumped you but think of the freedom you’ve got now – you see, every cloud has a silver lining!

You say…

Tural
So in English you would say “every cloud has a silver lining”. In Azeri we have a similar saying – Eyni güldən ilan zəhər, arı bal çəkər – which essentially means from the same flower, a snake would draw poison and a bee would draw honey.

Sucheera
In English you say “every cloud has a silver lining”. In Thai we have a similar phrase – ฟ้าหลังฝนย่อมสวยงามเสมอ – which means the sky is always beautiful after the rain.

Peter
In English every cloud has a silver lining. In Swahili we say Baada ya dhiki faraja, which means at the end of a journey of turmoil there is relief or joy.

Sian
So, there are a few examples of ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ in other languages. What do you say?

You say…

In Azeri – Eyni güldən ilan zəhər, arı bal çəkər – which means from the same flower, a snake would draw poison and a bee would draw honey.

In Thai – ฟ้าหลังฝนย่อมสวยงามเสมอ – which means the sky is always beautiful after the rain.

In Swahili – Baada ya dhiki faraja which means at the end of a journey of turmoil there is relief or joy.

BBC Learning English

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