Word.ws English Dictionary

there is the rub

there is the rub is the alternative form of therein lies the rub.

Meaning of therein lies the rub

Phrase

therein lies the rub

  1. (idiomatic) That is where the problem is found or located.
    • I tried to back up my database to a USB flash drive, but it isn't big enough. Therein lies the rub.

Questions about there is the rub

What is there is the rub the alternative form of?
There is the rub is the alternative form of therein lies the rub.

Words near there is the rub in the dictionary

  1. there is safety in numbers
  2. there is something in the water
  3. there is something rotten in the state of Denmark
  4. there is something to be said for
  5. there is strength in numbers
  6. there is the rub
  7. there isn't any easy way to say this
  8. there lies the rub
  9. there may be snow on the mountaintop but there's fire in the valley
  10. there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace
  11. there must be something in the water

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: there is the rub (page history and authors); therein lies the rub (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “there is the rub.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/there_is_the_rub. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.