no rose without a thorn
- idiom
:
no hay rosa sin espinas
- He found the job rewarding, but stressful at times, proving that no rose without a thorn.
Examples
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She knew their new business would face setbacks; after all, no rose without a thorn.
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Although her vacation was wonderful, a few problems reminded her that no rose without a thorn.
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There's no rose without a thorn in life!
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In every relationship, no rose without a thorn applies.
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She loved her new house, but it needed some repairs, reminding her that no rose without a thorn.
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While he enjoyed the thrill of adventure traveling the world, he also experienced the truth that no rose without a thorn.
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They celebrated their success, knowing very well that no rose without a thorn comes without its challenges.
How Problematic
133
5.6
182
3.7
487
2.3
∞
1.0
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
no + rose + without + a + thorn
The phrase literally combines known words ('no' + 'rose' + 'without' + 'a' + 'thorn') so a learner can see the concrete idea that roses are not found without thorns and thus infer a contrast between a positive item and an inherent drawback. However, the jump from that literal image to the conventionalized, metaphorical meaning that every desirable thing has downsides requires cultural and proverbial knowledge, so the relationship is only partially predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
No rose without a thorn is a proverb that creates a simple picture: a lovely rose always has a sharp thorn, so the beautiful part comes with something that can hurt. That's why people use it to mean 'every good thing has problems'.