the rub

noun

formal

: something that causes a difficulty or problem

She's an amazing cook, but she rarely has time to make meals. There's the rub.

Therein/There lies the rub.

Examples of the rub in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Here’s the rub: To date, Nothing has released nothing but earbuds and cell phones—none of which have changed the market dramatically. —Parker Hall, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024

Here’s the rub—and there’s often a rub with a release like this. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2024

But here’s the rub: This was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and all 17,500 seats around the Hollywood Bowl were empty. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024

But here’s the rub: the barbeque is a wedding reception for his mother and his uncle. —David Catlin, The Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2024

But here’s the rub: two years into a steep rebuild caused by mortgaging large chunks of the future — moves that led to the Super Bowl victory — McVay’s program has surprised many football experts by ranking in the NFL’s top half in scoring on both offense and defense. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2023

And there’s the rub: The writer peers into a glass darkly, searching for God, but his own reflection stares back. —Hamilton Cain, WSJ, 26 Dec. 2023

As with any executive order, the rub is in how a sprawling and abstract document will be turned into concrete action. —WIRED, 14 Nov. 2023

But here’s the rub: What feels right changes from day to day, run to run. —Jonathan Beverly, Outside Online, 3 Mar. 2020