Crop up American informal
This is a phrase used to point out some unexpected events and these situations are annoying.
My ex just cropped up in the places that I went with my new girlfriend, what an annoyance!
Why does my name keeps cropping up during the lesson ? Is this bad luck ?
This apple just cropped up out of nowhere and hit my head. I think I have figured out gravity.
If a story, event, or announcement has a sting in its/the tail, it seems pleasant at first but contains a surprising and unpleasant part at the end.
Something happens when you are unexpected or unprepared.
The term 'crop up' has been used since at least the 17th century by miners, geologists, etc. to refer to rocks that break the Earth's surface.The later use of the term 'crop up' in its figurative 'emerge unexpectedly' meaning is first appeared in the journal 'The Proceedings of the Royal Asiatic Society', published in 1832.