bitter

bitter pill to swallow

Fig. an unpleasant fact that has to be accepted. (Does not involve pills or swallowing.) It was a bitter pill for her brother to swallow when she married his enemy. We found his deception a bitter pill to swallow.

See also: pill, swallow

Take the bitter with the sweet.

Prov. Accept the bad things as well as the good things that happen. (Implies that the bad and good things you are talking about are very serious or important.) If you intend to get married, you must be prepared to take the bitter with the sweet.

See also: sweet, take

to the bitter end and till the bitter end

Fig. to the very end. (Originally nautical. This originally had nothing to do with bitterness.) I'll stay till the bitter end. It took me a long time to get through school, but I worked hard at it all the way to the bitter end.

See also: end

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a bitter pill (to swallow)  also bitter medicine

a situation that is unpleasant but must be accepted Losing the championship to a younger player was a bitter pill to swallow. Cuts in salaries are a dose of bitter medicine that may help the company to survive.

See also: pill

be bitter and twisted

to be angry and unhappy, usually because you are unable to forget bad things which have happened to you in the past I had a difficult childhood, but there's no point getting all bitter and twisted about it.

See also: and, twist

the bitter fruits  (literary)

the unpleasant results of something Disease and malnutrition are the bitter fruits of an inefficient social healthcare policy.

See also: fruit

to the bitter end

if you do something to the bitter end, you continue it until it is finished, although it is difficult and takes a long time Many climbers gave up before they reached the summit, but I was determined to stick it out to the bitter end.

See also: end

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a bitter pill (to swallow)

an unpleasant situation that must be accepted Losing the championship was a bitter pill to swallow for a team that was used to winning every year. Having his fate in the hands of others is a bitter pill for this proud man.

See also: pill

to the bitter end See: stick it out

See also: end