Where did the word "rub" originate from?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Firstly "here's the rub" is an idiom meaning here is the biggest problem or difficulty which will be difficult or impossible to deal with. "The rub" is a reference to the English game of bowls, where a rub is a flaw in the playing surface that interferes with the ball’s route. So in this case, "rub" is a difficulty or problem. The phrase is now a common British English idiom after it was famously used in Shakespeare's Hamlet (as "there's the rub") and is now seen in many different variations, including "therein lies the rub" and "that's the rub" or as we see here "here's the rub". Ex: I just have to pay the fine to get my car back, but here's the rub, my wallet is in the car. Ex: You can't get a job unless you have experience. And here's the rub – how do you get experience if you can't get a job?
