English

Noun

trouble in paradise ‎(plural troubles in paradise)

1. (idiomatic) An unexpected problem in a supposedly positive situation, especially in a marital or romantic relationship.

   My wife wasn't in the best of moods on our honeymoon last week. ― Trouble in paradise?

   • 1969 Feb. 14, "New Plays: Pilgrims' Regress," Time (retrieved 10 July 2014):

     Chaucer's people are not paralyzed by self-consciousness in the act of love. They possess none of modern man's neurasthenic haste to import trouble in paradise.

   • 1996 Dec. 10, Clifton Brown, "Challenge for the Bulls Is to Repair the Cracks," New York Times (retrieved 10 July 2014):

     Is there trouble in paradise? Maybe not, but it will be interesting to see whether the Bulls can make it through another season without serious internal problems.

   • 2013 Oct. 5, Tom Russo, "Reasons to get ‘Stuck in Love’," Boston Globe (retrieved 10 July 2014):

     [H]e’ll keep on peeping through her window, anxious for some glimpse of trouble in paradise with the new boyfriend.

Usage notes

• Sometimes used with a tone of sarcasm or mockery.

Translations