"saving grace" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "saving graces",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "saving grace (countable and uncountable, plural saving graces)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "91 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "For all his treachery and deception, he had one saving grace: good manners.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019 February 27, Drachinifel, 31:46 from the start, in The Battle of Samar - Odds? What are those?, archived from the original on 2022-11-03",
          "text": "With Gambier Bay and Hoel sinking and Roberts not much longer for this world, the Johnston is now set upon by four cruisers and a number of destroyers. The ship's crew patch holes as fast as they can, but the ship is literally gradually being taken apart by repeated salvos. The fact that this particular set of Japanese ships is STILL using armor-piercing instead of high explosive is the only saving grace.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A redeeming quality or factor."
      ],
      "id": "en-saving_grace-en-noun-uy79CFvo",
      "links": [
        [
          "redeeming",
          "redeeming"
        ],
        [
          "quality",
          "quality"
        ],
        [
          "factor",
          "factor"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(countable) A redeeming quality or factor."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Theology",
          "orig": "en:Theology",
          "parents": [
            "Philosophy",
            "Religion",
            "All topics",
            "Culture",
            "Fundamental",
            "Society"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "God's grace or blessing, enabling sinners to attain salvation."
      ],
      "id": "en-saving_grace-en-noun-XN0YKVVi",
      "links": [
        [
          "theology",
          "theology"
        ],
        [
          "God",
          "God"
        ],
        [
          "blessing",
          "blessing"
        ],
        [
          "sinner",
          "sinner"
        ],
        [
          "salvation",
          "salvation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(theology) God's grace or blessing, enabling sinners to attain salvation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "lifestyle",
        "religion",
        "theology"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "saving grace"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "saving graces",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "saving grace (countable and uncountable, plural saving graces)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "For all his treachery and deception, he had one saving grace: good manners.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019 February 27, Drachinifel, 31:46 from the start, in The Battle of Samar - Odds? What are those?, archived from the original on 2022-11-03",
          "text": "With Gambier Bay and Hoel sinking and Roberts not much longer for this world, the Johnston is now set upon by four cruisers and a number of destroyers. The ship's crew patch holes as fast as they can, but the ship is literally gradually being taken apart by repeated salvos. The fact that this particular set of Japanese ships is STILL using armor-piercing instead of high explosive is the only saving grace.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A redeeming quality or factor."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "redeeming",
          "redeeming"
        ],
        [
          "quality",
          "quality"
        ],
        [
          "factor",
          "factor"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(countable) A redeeming quality or factor."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Theology"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "God's grace or blessing, enabling sinners to attain salvation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "theology",
          "theology"
        ],
        [
          "God",
          "God"
        ],
        [
          "blessing",
          "blessing"
        ],
        [
          "sinner",
          "sinner"
        ],
        [
          "salvation",
          "salvation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(theology) God's grace or blessing, enabling sinners to attain salvation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "lifestyle",
        "religion",
        "theology"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "saving grace"
}