Biting the bullet....?

Question

When should you just bite the bullet, and take things as they are?

Where does the saying, "Bite the bullet" derive from?

~*WinglessAngel*~

Answer 1

Bite the bullet which means to  brace yourself for an unpleasant experience or to  decide to get on with a difficult task. It is believed that the term originated in battlefield surgery before the days of anesthesia. A surgeon about to operate on a wounded soldier would urge him to bite on a bullet of soft lead to distract him from the pain; at least it would minimize his ability to scream and thus divert the surgeon.

Answer 2

Hi!

I believe the expression "bite the bullet" comes from the military when they were operating on someone without sufficient anesthetic to kill the pain. The would put a bullet, which at that time had a lead - softer metal - tip into the soldier's mouth and tell him to bite on it.

In doing so, it would give him the ability to brace himself for the pain without otherwise injuring himself by biting his lips or tongue or jumping his body around and causing the doctors problems.

When should you "bite the bullet"? I think a lot of the time, but here's where wisdom and experience take precedence over IQ. You know, we're not sure when to fight and when to surrender. Many times success comes through a graceful surrender.

A good example of this is when you've somehow managed to get yourself into something of a fight with another person, and you gracefully decide to "bite the bullet" and even though you're convinced in your own heart that you are right, you just drop the point, and allow the other person to appear to have "won the argument".

This is an exhibition of singular maturity which oftentimes results in your winning in the end. You win by avoiding a continued fight. You win by perhaps maintaining a friendship. You win by sacrificing your own ego to build up another person whose ego may not be as strong as you.

And your really big win is that you have shown yourself to be the stronger person and you have made peace. Not enough - far, far too few - far and far between - in this world - are the people who are willing to "bite this bullet".

And, what a better world this would be if they, and we, were.

Answer 3

Some try to dodge the bullet. But if you have no options you fight back and bite the bullet.

Answer 4

I believe it means take the pain,