therein lies the rub

English

Alternative forms

• there lies the rub
• there is the rub

Etymology

Misquotation from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "ay, there's the rub".

Phrase

therein lies the rub

1. That is where the problem is.

   I tried to back up my database to a USB flash drive, but it isn't big enough. Therein lies the rub.

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: siinä ongelma juuri piileekin
• French: c’est là que le bât blesse (fr)
• German: da liegt der Hase im Pfeffer (de), da liegt der Hund begraben (de)
• Greek: τα κουμπιά της Αλέξαινας (ta koumpiá tis Aléxainas)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: qui casca l'asino
• Polish: tu leży pies pogrzebany (pl), tu jest pies pogrzebany
• Russian: вот где соба́ка зары́та (ru) (vot gde sobáka zarýta)
• Spanish: la madre del cordero (es)
• Swedish: här ligger en hund begraven (sv)

Further reading

• “there s here s the rub” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
• “therein lies the rub”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “theres the rub”, in Collins English Dictionary.