e.g. “You never know if trains are running or if you have to bite the bullet and get an Uber.”
“The time had come to bite the bullet and replace the roof, but the water has been coming in for so long it has rotted the beams across the church.”
It is suggested that this phrase dates from pre-anaesthetic days, when wounded soldiers were given a bullet or similar solid object to bite on when undergoing surgery [1].
An alternative explanation is linked to the Indian Mutiny (first war of independence, 1857–58), where gun cartridges came in two sections, the missile section being inserted into the base and held in place by grease consisting of beef or pork fat. To charge the bullets, the two sections had to be bitten apart and the base filled with gunpowder. This task was usually performed by low-ranking Hindu soldiers, to whom pigs were holy. In battle, they were forced, against their wishes, to “bite the bullet” [2].
[1] “bite” in Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms, edited by Ayto, John. Oxford University Press, 2009.
[2] Jack, Albert. Red Herrings & White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases We Use Every Day (pp. 22–23). Kindle Edition.
“The time had come to bite the bullet and replace the roof, but the water has been coming in for so long it has rotted the beams across the church.”
It is suggested that this phrase dates from pre-anaesthetic days, when wounded soldiers were given a bullet or similar solid object to bite on when undergoing surgery [1].
An alternative explanation is linked to the Indian Mutiny (first war of independence, 1857–58), where gun cartridges came in two sections, the missile section being inserted into the base and held in place by grease consisting of beef or pork fat. To charge the bullets, the two sections had to be bitten apart and the base filled with gunpowder. This task was usually performed by low-ranking Hindu soldiers, to whom pigs were holy. In battle, they were forced, against their wishes, to “bite the bullet” [2].
[1] “bite” in Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms, edited by Ayto, John. Oxford University Press, 2009.
[2] Jack, Albert. Red Herrings & White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases We Use Every Day (pp. 22–23). Kindle Edition.
No comments:
Post a Comment