To bite the bullet

Meaning: To face something painful with gritted courage.

Example: “I hate the dentist, but I finally bit the bullet and booked an appointment.”

Origin: Battlefield lore has soldiers biting a soft lead bullet through surgery without anesthesia; Kipling fixed the phrase in print in 1891.

Equivalents in other languages

To go cold turkey To quit a habit abruptly and completely.
To cut the mustard To meet the required standard; to succeed.
To chew the fat To chat idly and at length.
By the skin of your teeth By the narrowest possible margin.
To rain on someone's parade To spoil someone's plans or happy moment.
To have a chip on your shoulder To harbor a grudge or a defensive sense of grievance.

Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

Fame Actually means 'hunger'. Ho fame = I'm hungry. For fame (renown), say fama.
Vaso Actually means 'a drinking glass'. A vase (for flowers) is un jarrón or florero.
Pasta Actually means 'folder' or 'briefcase'. Pasta (the food) is massa.

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