to force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation
Etymology:
- This term came into existence during the 19th century. Before local anesthesia most soldiers were operated by placing a rubber bullet in their mouth. Whenever they felt pain they used to bite the bullet and endured the pain throughout the treatment. It was an effective way of dealing with pain as, soldiers used to bite the bullet when they felt pain and the surgeon worked without getting distracted.
- 22 Views
“
I hate going to the dentist, but I'll have to just bite the bullet, make the appointment and go.
Submitted on February 25, 2019
Modified by TriplePurple on April 07, 2024
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Nearby phrases
Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to bite the bullet
every bullet has its billetbite one's lipBite Off More Than You Can ChewBite Your Tonguebite the big onedon't let the bedbugs bitebite offbite the biscuitdon't bite the hand that feeds younumber one with a bulletone's bark is worse than one's bitebite someone in the arseeat an elephant one bite at a timebite to eat
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"bite the bullet." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/bite-the-bullet_44494>.
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