Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - silver lining

1. If you say that every cloud has a silver lining, you mean that every sad or unpleasant situation has a positive side to it. As they say, every cloud has a silver lining. We have drawn lessons from the decisions taken. PHRASE 2. If you talk about a silver lining, you are talking about something positive that comes out of a sad or unpleasant situation. The fall in inflation is the silver lining of the prolonged recession. N-SING