bite the bullet

Meaning

1. (idiomatic) To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed.
2. To accept an undesirable or counterintuitive implication of an argument or view.

Synonyms

step aside

swallow the bitter pill

grin and bear it

grit one’s teeth

force oneself to

Translations

serrer les dents

avaler la pilule

die bittere Pille schlucken

in den sauren Apfel beissen

se faire violence

in den sauren Apfel beißen

avaler un crapaud

über den eigenen Schatten springen

Etymology

Possibly 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.