bite the bullet

English

Etymology

Possibly from the reported practice of soldiers biting a bullet to avoid crying out in pain, usually during a medical procedure or punishment.[1]

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Verb

bite the bullet (third-person singular simple present bites the bullet, present participle biting the bullet, simple past bit the bullet, past participle bitten the bullet)

1. (idiomatic) To endure a punishment or consequence with dignity or stoicism.
2. (idiomatic) To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed.

Translations

endure punishment with dignity or accept a negative aspect of a situation

• Catalan: empassar-se el gripau (swallow the toad)
• Danish: bide i det sure æble (bite into the sour apple)
• Dutch: door de zure appel (heen) bijten (bite into the sour apple)
• Finnish: purra hammasta (bite the tooth)
• French: serrer les dents (fr) (clench the teeth), encaisser (fr)
• German: in den sauren Apfel beißen (de) (bite into the sour apple)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: bíta í það súra epli (is) (bite into the sour apple)
• Italian: ingoiare il rospo, fare buon viso a cattiva sorte
• Norwegian: bite i det sure eple (no) (bite into the sour apple)
• Polish: zacisnąć zęby (clench the teeth)
• Russian: сти́снуть зу́бы pf (stísnutʹ zúby) (clench the teeth)
• Swedish: bita i det sura äpplet (sv) (bite into the sour apple)

See also

• grit one's teeth
• take one's licks
• take it like a man