Silver lining

Posted by James Briggs on January 18, 2003

In Reply to: Silver lining posted by Bruce Kahl on January 18, 2003

: : Hi, could you explain the meaning of "Silver lining", when and how to use this word?

: It means that a negative situation has produced something that is very positive. The very positive thing or situation is the "silver lining".
: For instance, many people agree that one of the "silver linings" of World War 2 was the increae in technology that hastened the development and start of the computer era.

I think this comes from thunder clouds, which are often very dark and threatening but which often may have a silver gleam of sunlight along one edge - the 'silver lining' to the cloud.

See the meaning and origin of the proverb "Every cloud has a silver lining".