swallow (redirected from swallowing)

a bitter pill (to swallow)

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: bitter, pill

hard to swallow

if something that someone says is hard to swallow, it is difficult to believe. I found her story rather hard to swallow.

See also: hard

one swallow doesn't make a summer (British & Australian)

something that you say which means because one good thing has happened, you cannot therefore be certain that more good things will happen and the whole situation will improve. Okay, they won their last game but one swallow doesn't make a summer. They're still bottom of the league.

See also: doesn't, summer

swallow your pride

to accept that you have to do something that you think is embarrassing or that you think you are too good to do. Swallow your pride and call your daughter to tell her you're sorry.

See also: pride

swallow/take the bait

to accept something that is only being offered to you so that you will do something. The offer of a free radio with every television proved very popular, and hundreds of shoppers swallowed the bait.

See also: bait, take

wish the ground would swallow you up

to wish that you could disappear because you feel very embarrassed. Everyone in the room was staring at me and I stood there wishing the ground would swallow me up.

See also: ground, wish

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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: bitter, pill

hard to swallow

1. difficult to accept. The terms of the agreement were hard to swallow, but I needed the work. My father's anger was very hard to swallow.

2. not easy to believe. We found her excuse hard to swallow.

take something with a grain of salt

See also: hard

swallow your pride

to admit that you have been wrong about someone or something. He swallowed his pride and called his daughter to apologize. I swallowed my pride and asked for a second chance.

Usage notes: often said about something that has embarrassed you

See also: pride

swallow up someone/something

to take in or absorb someone or something. The suburbs are swallowing up all the farmland and open space in the region. She walked down the street, and the crowd just swallowed her up.