A silver lining is a metaphor for optimism in vernacular English, which means a negative occurrence may have a positive aspect to it.
Origin John Milton coined the phrase 'silver lining' in his poem Comus: A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634:
It is a metaphor referring to the silvery, shining edges of a cloud backlit by the Sun or the Moon.
See also Idiom Felix culpa The old man lost his horse Silver Lining (disambiguation) Is the glass half empty or half full?
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