What Does the Phrase ‘Bite the Bullet’ Mean and Why?
The phrase has its origins in the early wars that were fought with guns.
To bite the bullet means —
- to be forced to take an undesirable course of action.
You can use it for situations where you have been avoiding taking action, but now you have no other choice than to face it.
It is believed that this idiom originated in military actions and wars. In historical times, when anesthesia was not invented or it was not commonly used, the wounded soldiers in the war were given a bullet to put between their teeth before a painful surgical treatment. A bullet is a hard yet mildly malleable object that enabled soldiers to bear the pain of surgery.
The bullet was necessary because it is a human tendency to clench teeth when experiencing severe pain.
If the bullet was not kept between the teeth, there was a real possibility that the soldier might bit his tongue off. And indeed, there are several bullets kept in world museums that have bite marks on them. You can easily find their pictures on the Internet.
Furthermore, it is obvious that in the absence of anesthesia, the surgical procedure was adopted as a last resort, only when there was no other option. Thus, the phrase “bite the bullet” has come to refer to “facing any unpleasant situation, even though you would like to avoid it.”
For example —
“We need to bite the bullet and make some budget cuts by laying off some people.”
You did not want to fire any of your employees but now, you have no other option. You are forced to do so because you have to make some budget cuts.
I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.
Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.
