Whilst the incidents were certainly accurately recorded and were a catalyst for the Indian Rebellion, the earlier citation shows that they weren't the source of the phrase. The requirement that the Sepoys ignore their religious qualms and 'bite the bullet' is suggested as the source of the phrase. Hindus feared that the grease was made from cow fat and Muslims that it was made from what was equally repugnant to them, pig fat. When a new design of rifle was issued, which used greased paper cartridges that needed to be bitten to release their powder, the Sepoys objected on religious grounds. The Sepoys were native Indian fighters who were recruited to fight with the British Army. That example also puts to bed the often repeated theory that the expression derived from incidents in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. It is a point of honour in some regiments,Īmong the grenadiers, never to cry out, or become nightingales, whilst under the discipline of the cat of nine tails A soldier who, as the term is, sings out at 'Biting the bullet' does in fact date from before that war, as this definition of 'nightingale' in Francis Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1796 makes clear: It doesn't look like much fun but, given the choice, and apparently they were, surely patients would prefer unconsciousness to bullet chewing. The photograph to the right shows, albeit not too clearly, a patient undergoing amputation in a US Civil War field hospital, with a cloth, presumably soaked in ether/chloroform, held near his mouth. military surgeons as early as 1849 - well before the US Civil War began in 1861. This seems rather improbable, as effective anaesthesia using ether and chloroform was introduced in 1846/47 and ether was issued to U.S. The most frequently cited origin of the alleged 'biting the bullet' practice is the American Civil War. Whether or not they might have been offered anything to nibble on, there's little doubt that they would have been fortified with strong drink. Many artists, notably Rembrandt Van Rijn and Hieronymus Bosch, painted scenes of early surgery and none of those paintings shows patients biting into anything. That would have been a neat solution but, lacking any supporting evidence, it seems best to discount it. Worth investigating certainly, but my initial enthusiasm was dampened rather by finding that no records of the phrase 'bite the billet' can be found in historical newspapers and other records. Lead poisoning would probably have been a secondary concern in those circumstances.Īn ingenious correspondent has suggested that, as wooden sticks are known as billets, the stick-biting practice might have first been called 'biting the billet' which then modified to 'biting the bullet'. A bullet, being somewhat malleable and not likely to break the patient's teeth, is said to have been an impromptu battlefield alternative.
So, is it true or is it just 'believed'? The theory goes that patients undergoing surgery would be given a stick of wood or a pad of leather to bite on in order to concentrate their attention away from the pain and also to protect against biting their own tongues. Sadly, 'I've always believed' has to be as poor an opening gambit as 'a man in a pub told me' in a piece discussing the origins of a phrase. I've always believed that, before the days of effective anaesthetics, soldiers were given bullets to bite on to help them endure pain.
What's the origin of the phrase 'Bite the bullet'? Malheureusement jusqu'à présent, aucun signe n'indique que les pays en crise, la France en tête, sont disposés à se serrer la ceinture.Bite the bullet What's the meaning of the phrase 'Bite the bullet'?Īccept the inevitable impending hardship and endure the resulting pain with fortitude. Unfortunately, thus far, there is no sign that the crisis countries, above all France, are ready to bite the bullet. Si un pays comme la Malaisie, qui est un exportateur net de pétrole, a dû se serrer la ceinture, la situation doit être infiniment pire pour les importateurs. If a country like Malaysia, which is a net exporter of petroleum, has had to bite the bullet, the situation for importers must be infinitely worse. Si j'abandonne, nous allons simplement mordre la poussière If we're giving up, we simply have to bite the bullet. Les États membres doivent serrer les dents et s'apprêter à financer la construction d'infrastructures adéquates pour le stockage du gaz ainsi que la constitution de réserves suffisantes. Member States must bite the bullet and be prepared to pay for adequate gas storage facilities and stocks.
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