It’s an ill wind that blows no-one some good.
It’s an ill wind that blows no-one some good.
Meaning in plain English
The saying questions a bad wind that brings nobody any good. As an analogy, an adverse event is pictured as having different effects for different people.
Example
A reader considers who is affected differently by an event without dismissing the people harmed.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
No-one and some create the contrast between complete harm and mixed consequences. A qualified interpretation can examine those effects without requiring a person suffering loss to call it beneficial. The phrase does not establish that every disaster produces a compensating gain.
When to use it
Use it to discuss differing consequences with attention to actual losses.
Keep in mind
Benefit to someone does not erase harm, and no universal compensating gain is verified.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 375; PDF page 56
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