Modul 5: Idiom 46: Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

Hi. Let’s take a look at the Idiom, ‘Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining.’ This popular saying encourages people to stay positive. It means that for every bad thing, there is always a good thing. Even if something looks incredibly bad overall, there is always even a glimpse of hope.

So what is the origin of this idiom?

The original idea of clouds revealing (showing) a silver lining dates back to 1634 when writer and poet John Milton wrote, “Was I deceived or did the sable cloud turn forth her silver lining on the night.’ Milton describes a lady who is alone and scared in a forest and she’s praying to God for some faith and hope.

In 1852, the English writer Charles Dickens wrote ‘Bleak House’. In this novel, he wrote, “I turn my silver lining outward, like Milton’s cloud.” He references Milton’s description of clouds having silver linings, and it was in the 1800s that the idiom first became a popular way of describing hope in the darkest of times.

Take a look at our illustration.

Look at the cloud in the sky. Can you see its silver lining or its silver edge? The cloud is smiling down to the boy who is on the ground crying . The boy is going through something bad, but the cloud is smiling to show hope and he’s handing the boy a copy of Comus. Of course, Comus is the masque, which is a theatre play written in  “cheerful” verses. And its from this that the idiom originates.

Here are some examples before we go to the concept questions…

“I lost my job today, but I met a businessman who was on my train home, and he offered me an interview for a job that he is recruiting for. Every cloud has a silver lining!”

“I didn’t win my race today, but every cloud has a silver lining: I got a lot of exercise by running, anyway.”

“Nan has a virus, so she has to stay in bed, but I told her that every cloud has a silver lining because now she has everyone doing her shopping and cooking meals for her.”

“There was no lunch break at work today because we were all working so hard, but every cloud has a silver lining because I didn’t eat unhealthy food as usual.”

“My holiday abroad was cancelled, but they compensated us with £500 for our loss. Every cloud has a silver lining!”

Great.

Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding:

1. Fred was driving in his car with his wife. There was a loud bang, and the engine stopped completely.  “This sounds expensive,” Fred said. “Yes,” replied his wife, “and we won’t be able to see my mother today.”  “Oh, well,”  thought Fred, “every cloud has a silver lining.”  Was Fred relieved that he didn’t have to visit his mother-in-law? Yes. Whilst his car repairs would be expensive, it saved him a trip to see his mother-in-law, who he apparently didn’t like very much.
2. It poured with rain just as the walking tour of Oxford City Centre got underway.  “Typical!” said Sheila. “It doesn’t rain for weeks, and then it starts raining right now.  At least my garden will get watered.” What is Sheila’s silver lining? Well whilst she would get wet on her walking tour, the silver lining is that her flowers would benefit from the rain.
3. Little Billy has always been picked on by Lee who is much bigger than him.  Billy was sad to be leaving junior school, but at least he’d be free from the class bully.  Did leaving the school he loved have a silver lining?  Yes.  Billy was glad that he could go to his new school without Lee being there.
4. David Campbell was a relatively unknown politician. He was mortified when the platform collapsed at one of his rallies. Videos of the incident started appearing all over the internet. “Never mind,” said his campaign manager, “at least everyone knows who you are now.”  Did the campaign manager have a silver lining in this embarrassing situation?  Yes. Whilst the events were embarrassing for David, he couldn’t have dreamed of such wide free publicity.
5. Evelyn had been devastated – really sad –  not to get into Cambridge University, but now she was at the University of Warwick. She loved the friends that she’d made on campus, and the lecturers were so good.  Do you think she eventually found the silver lining? Yes, she did. Whilst this wasn’t what Evelyn had planned, in the end, she was glad that it worked out the way it did.

Great. Now go and practise. See you soon.