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sting in the tail

Noun CEFR C2

Definitions

Something surprising and unpleasant that concludes a chain of events.

Examples

The Budget comes with a sting in the tailfuture tax increases.”
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.”

CEFR level

C2
Mastery
This word is part of the CEFR C2 vocabulary — mastery level.
See all C2 English words →

See also

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