bite the bullet
To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceedTo accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed.
» Bite the bullet.
Da musst du wohl in den sauren Apfel beißen.
Da müssen Sie wohl in den sauren Apfel beißen.
Da müsst ihr wohl in den sauren Apfel beißen!
Стисни зубы.
Перетерпи боль.
Стисни зуби.
Meaning
2 senses(idiomatic)To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed.
The tenant was annoyed by the proposed rent increase, but the cost of moving would be even higher, so he bit the bullet and signed the new lease.
in den sauren Apfel beißen
сти́снуть зу́быstísnutʹ zúby
(rhetoric)To accept an undesirable or counterintuitive implication of an argument or view.
Examples
5 sentencesBite the bullet.
Стисни зуби. — deniko
ruСтисни зубы. — Hellerick
deDa musst du wohl in den sauren Apfel beißen. — mramosch
Tom had to bite the bullet.
ruТому пришлось стиснуть зубы. — astyng
deTom musste in den sauren Apfel beißen. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
In the end, Tom had to bite the bullet and take responsibility for his actions.
ruВ итоге Тому пришлось стиснуть зубы и понести ответственность за свои действия. — astyng
I'll bite the bullet.
Bruno decided to just bite the bullet and ask Isabella out on a date.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Possibly from the reported practice of soldiers biting a bullet to avoid crying out in paiPossibly from the reported practice of soldiers biting a bullet to avoid crying out in pain, usually during a medical procedure or punishment. See the Wikipedia article Bite the bullet for a further discussion of possible etymologies.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
bites the bullet, biting the bullet, bit the bullet, bitten the bullet| Base form | bite the bullet · to bite the bullet |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | bites the bullet |
| Present participle | biting the bullet |
| Past simple | bit the bullet |
| Past participle | bitten the bullet |
irregular · Lesson
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle