Phrase of the Week - To bite the bullet

The Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners defines the expression to bite the bullet thus: “to force yourself to do something difficult or unpleasant that you have been avoiding doing”. For example, if you have toothache but have been avoiding going to the dentist because you are scared, the pain might finally become so great that you simply have to overcome your phobia, bite the bullet and visit the dentist. The expression is generally believed to have its origins in the American Civil War when wounded soldiers were operated on in primitive conditions in field hospitals. When more reliable painkillers such as alcohol were not available, the next best thing was to give the unfortunate patient a bullet and tell him to bite on it as the surgeon’s knife went in. The patient was thus faced with a choice: he could die of his injuries or he could bite the bullet and face the excruciating pain of the amputation.

Phrase of the week - To know the ropes

To know the ropes

The expression knowing the ropes is often applied to the procedures and tasks that relate to a particular occupation. New employees are often told that it will take them a while to get to know the ropes. More experienced colleagues might volunteer to show them the ropes or teach them the ropes. When you know the ropes you understand everything there is to know about the tasks and procedures relating to a job. Like many other phrases, this expression has its origins in the world of sailing. Many of the sailing ships that plied the oceans of the world before the age of the steamship had complex systems of masts and sails that were controlled by ropes. Senior members of the crews of these ships were the ones who knew the ropes and understood how to use them to control the sails. The ambition of any sailor was to know the ropes as quickly as possible.