![]() “Bite on the bullet, old man, and don’t let them think you’re afraid. “Steady, Dickie, steady!” said the deep voice in his ear, and the grip tightened. This settlement was described by Rudyard Kipling’s 1891 novel, The Light That Failed: Despite this, the idea of chewing on a literal bullet endured until the mid to late 19th century where the idea evolved into a figurative term meaning to be brave and keep a stiff upper lip. ![]() Certain people have even suggested the term “bite the bullet” was misused and it was in fact “bite the billet”, but no proof of this exists.Įarly paintings of surgery from the American Civil war are devoid of the patients biting on anything, but rather, they are depicted being given a stiff drink to endure the pain or ether and chloroform to knock them out during surgery. ![]() More times than not, a piece of leather or a stick of wood (sometimes referred to as billets) would be used in such an event, but when these items were not available there were more than enough bullets on the battlefield to compensate. Many people believe the term “bite the bullet” originated with soldiers on the battlefield needing something to bite down on to endure the pain of surgery before anesthetics were available. We have all heard the term “bite the bullet” when it comes to dealing with something we don’t want to do but what does biting a bullet have to do with enduring something that we deem unbearable? Furthermore, the idea of biting a bullet doesn’t sound fun or healthy so why do people keep saying it? Herein lies the mystery. bite the bullet in American English Informal to confront a painful situation with fortitude or stoicism from an earlier practice of having the patient bite on a bullet during battlefield surgery when no anesthetic was available See full dictionary entry for bite Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Send us feedback about these examples.Rudyard Kipling’s Story With a the Metaphorical “Biting the Bullet” reference. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2023 Find out what to do before and during an earthquake near you by signing up for our Unshaken newsletter, which breaks down emergency preparedness into bite-sized steps over six weeks. 2023 My saying is, there’s only one way to eat an elephant, and that’s one bite at a time. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023 In the bowl, hold two knives at an angle to chop the salad into small, bite-sized pieces, just like at your favorite restaurant. 2023 Keep these tips in mind from your first mushroom hunt of the season through your last bite of these morel mushroom recipes. Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2023 One day when Penelope leaves her pizza unattended momentarily, Miss McCuddles hops on the table and takes a few bites. ![]() 2023 Big Tech companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google use bite-sized pieces of code called pixels to track users. 2023 An increasing number of social media users, especially teens and young women, have started self-diagnosing based on these bite-sized pieces of information. Noun Cryotherapy has smaller, bite-sized sessions that can go up to 15 mins, depending on your target area, while the infrared sauna can be used for up to 60 mins. ![]()
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