To "'''Bite the bullet'''" is to adjust to unpleasant circumstances: "The extreme drought is forcing everyone to bite the bullet and use less water." Historically, before [[anesthesia]], surgeons operating on the wounded gave them a bullet to bite to help withstand the pain. Thus, idiomatically, when one bites the bullet they are preparing themselves to courageously suffer. | To "'''Bite the bullet'''" is to adjust to unpleasant circumstances: "The extreme drought is forcing everyone to bite the bullet and use less water." Historically, before [[anesthesia]], surgeons operating on the wounded gave them a bullet to bite to help withstand the pain. Thus, idiomatically, when one bites the bullet they are preparing themselves to courageously suffer. |