rub
18
7.7
- noun
- /rʌb/
- Informal
- The real rub will come from not using that last 10 percent as seed.
- Therein lies the rub
- Here's the rub
- lies the rub
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Watch on YouTubeListening and talking, Jibanda's concept was simple, but cut to the rub of the problem.
- Listening and talking, Jibanda's concept was simple, but cut to the rub of the problem.
- The problem is the customer does and that is the rub.
Examples
-
And here's the rub: the surfaces of those three poems may look very similar.
Academic text (2010) -
Okay, so here's the rub.
-
As with so many things in China today, the rub is the gap between theory and practice.
Academic text (2008) -
For that was the rub: language was the only homeland!
Fiction book (2001) -
Listening and talking, Jibanda's concept was simple, but cut to the rub of the problem.
-
See, now, there's the rub.
-
And that is the rub: the central reason why religion and science are incompatible.
Blog text (26) -
Here's the rub: 80 percent of the students in that class received a grade of B or better.
Academic text (2006) -
And therein lies the rub: if you want to watch videos on your mobile, download the app.
Blog text (32) -
The greatest rub in their plan was the lack of funding for the project.
Synonyms
∞
1.2
A situation that causes trouble and needs a solution
135
3.6
A problem that delays progress or makes things worse
89
4.1
Something that makes a plan or situation harder to deal with
43
4.2
A small problem that causes a delay
37
4.8
An unexpected problem that is not obvious at first
28
4.6
An unexpected problem that delays a plan
13
6.0
An unexpected problem that makes a situation more difficult
10
3.2
A problem that slows progress in a project
10
7.0
An unexpected problem that causes trouble with a plan
5
3.7
A difficult situation that is hard to deal with
4
5.9
An unexpected problem that stops progress in a plan or process
1
9.9
A sudden problem that is hard to deal with
1
7.4
A difficult problem that needs careful handling
1
9.9
Something that makes a task or journey harder
1
7.7
A difficult problem with no easy solution
1
7.0
A sudden problem that stops plans from happening
1
4.2
A sudden problem that stops progress and causes delay
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
1
6.6
To make someone's bad feelings worse by reminding them of a disappointment
Compounds
1
9.9
A vast sandy desert in southern Saudi Arabia and nearby countries with huge sand dunes
How Serious
Surface Forms
Etymology
The meaning of rub as a problem comes from the idea of rubbing that causes 'friction' or a stop in movement, and one famous line in Shakespeare used 'the rub' to mean 'the difficulty'. So today 'the rub' is used for the unexpected snag that makes a plan more complicated.