sting in the tail

English

Noun

sting in the tail (plural stings in the tail or stings in tails)

1. Something surprising and unpleasant that concludes a chain of events.

   The Budget comes with a sting in the tail – future tax increases.

   • 2022 December 14, Philip Haigh, “Comment: Tightening the purse strings”, in RAIL, number 972, page 3:

     The sting in the tail is that an appropriate level of service could be far lower than we see today. With funding best described as tight, we look to be entering a painful period for rail.