bullet

[boo l-it] /ˈbʊl ɪt/

noun

a small metal projectile, part of a cartridge, for firing from small arms.

a cartridge.

a small ball.

Printing. a heavy dot for marking paragraphs or otherwise calling attention to or itemizing particular sections of text, especially in display advertising.

Cards. an ace.

verb (used without object), bulleted, bulleting.

to move swiftly.

Idioms

bite the bullet, to force oneself to perform a painful, difficult task or to endure an unpleasant situation:

We'll just have to bite the bullet and pay higher taxes.

Origin

1550-60; < Middle French boullette, equivalent to boulle ball (see bowl²) + -ette -ette

Related forms

bulletless, adjective

bulletlike, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for bite the bullet

bullet

/ˈbʊlɪt/

noun

a small metallic missile enclosed in a cartridge, used as the projectile of a gun, rifle, etc
the entire cartridge

something resembling a bullet, esp in shape or effect

(stock exchange) a fixed interest security with a single maturity date

(commerce) a security that offers a fixed interest and matures on a fixed date

(commerce)

the final repayment of a loan that repays the whole of the sum borrowed, as interim payments have been for interest only
(as modifier): a bullet loan

(Brit, slang) dismissal, sometimes without notice (esp in the phrases get or give the bullet)

(printing) See centred dot

bite the bullet, See bite (sense 14)

Derived Forms

bullet-like, adjective

Word Origin

C16: from French boulette, diminutive of boule ball; see bowl²

Word Origin and History for bite the bullet

bullet

1550s, from Middle French boulette "cannonball, small ball," diminutive of boule "a ball" (13c.), from Latin bulla "round thing, knob" (see bull (n.2)). Earliest version of bite the bullet recorded 1891, probably with a sense of giving someone a soft lead bullet to clench in the teeth during a painful operation.

bite the bullet in Culture

bite the bullet definition

To adjust to unpleasant circumstances: “The severe drought is forcing everybody to bite the bullet and use less water.” Before anesthesia, people undergoing surgery would bite on a bullet to help them withstand the pain.

Slang definitions & phrases for bite the bullet

bite the bullet

verb phrase

To accept the cost of a course of action; do something painful but necessary: Will he bite the bullet and become the leader that Philadelphia's black community wants and needs?/ The only thing John can do is bite the bullet

[1700s+ Military; fr the early surgical practice of having the patient bite hard on a bullet to divert the mind from pain and prevent screaming]

bullet

noun

An ace (1807+ Card games)
Money; dollars (1900+ Underworld)
A rivet (WWII aircraft workers)
Anything thrown or hit so as to travel very fast, esp a baseball: He's throwing bullets out there (1940s+)
A record rising very fast on the popularity charts (1970s+ Recording industry)
A one-year prison sentence; boffo (1990s+ Police)

verb

: currently bulleting up the charts

Related Terms

bite the bullet

Idioms and Phrases with bite the bullet

bite the bullet

Behave bravely or stoically when facing pain or a difficult situation, as in If they want to cut the budget deficit, they are going to have to bite the bullet and find new sources of revenue. This phrase is of military origin, but the precise allusion is uncertain. Some say it referred to the treatment of a wounded soldier without anesthesia, so that he would be asked to bite on a lead bullet during treatment. Also, Francis Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1796) holds that grenadiers being disciplined with the cat-o'nine-tails would bite on a bullet to avoid crying out in pain.

bullet

see:

Encyclopedia Article for bite the bullet

bullet

an elongated metal projectile that is fired by a pistol, rifle, or machine gun. Bullets are measured by their calibre, which indicates the interior diameter, or bore, of a gun barrel. (See bore.

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