to make (a muscle) hard and tightĬlench – v. afraid or nervous especially about what may happen feeling anxiety thinking about the bad qualities of someone or something thinking that a bad result will happenĪnxious – adj. She used articles by former VOA staff writers who wrote the Civil War references.
Hopefully, you will do that with us at VOA Learning English.Īnna Matteo wrote this story. You must simply practice and study as much as you can. If you want to perfect your English, there is no silver bullet. It hints that a person has been putting off this difficult decision.Īnd that brings us to the end of Words and Their Stories. In modern conversation, “biting the bullet” means to accept a difficult decision or situation. In old western movies, more than one rugged cowboy was seen biting a bullet, perhaps drinking some strong whiskey, while removing an arrow from his body.īut that is in the movies. Hollywood movies helped to keep this expression alive. Many times the nearest thing was a soft, lead bullet.
So, doctors working on the battlefield would give their patients a piece of wood to squeeze or something soft to bite on. We tighten our fists, tense our muscles or clench our teeth.īack during the Civil War, pain-killing drugs were often hard to find. And our bodies have many natural responses to pain. The story may go back to the American Civil War or even earlier. This actually sounds like really bad advice. To ease the pain of a difficult situation, people are sometimes asked to bite the bullet. As it turns out, your boss is out sick that day. When you arrive at the office, you are sweating bullets - you are nervous and very worried that your boss will fire you. Your boss has already warned you that if you come in late again, you may get fired. If you dodge a bullet, you have successfully avoided a problem - but barely.įor example, let’s say you get up late for work. When you sweat bullets you are very nervous or anxious about something. Now, we know that sweating is our body’s way of keeping cool. People in the military, however, might say, “I’d take a bullet for you, man.” Mothers might not say I’d take a bullet for their child, but they would. This often sounds like a tough expression. It means you are willing to put yourself in harm’s way to protect someone else. Well, the thought behind this expression is a good thing. To take a bullet for someone is a good thing. Yet, there is no silver bullet to cure all these problems. After many years of such conditions, people want change. This leads to an increase in mental and physical health issues. We often use these two expressions in the negative, because usually there is not one thing that solves a difficult problem.įor example, let’s say a country is suffering from a weak economy. A magic bullet - sometimes called a silver bullet - is something that solves a difficult problem easily. They are also known for their ability to kill. 2013.Īnd that is why very fast trains are often called " bullet trains."īullets are not only known for their speed. embassy on Balloon Day Parade in Brussels, Sept. A giant inflatable Superman flies past the U.S.
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