![]() ![]() This caused religious turmoil for the Sepoys – native Indian soldiers in the British army – as they were not permitted to eat the meat or fat or sacred animals. To load, soldiers bit the paper and poured the powder down the muzzle. Sticks would at times be used to prevent the patient’s teeth from breaking due to pressure of biting a metallic object.Īnother theory on ‘biting the bullet emerged when the British Empire was at the height of its power in India.Ī new rifle was introduced, with paper cartridges greased with animal fat. The bullet was used due to its small size and its availability during battle situations. So, to top the injured from biting their tongues, they would had to bite the bullet that made sure the teeth in the upper and lower jaw didn’t meet. You see a lot of that in war and cowboy movies. Historically, patients, mostly soldiers in war, would have to perform a surgery on their colleagues in an active war scene, such as removing a bullet lodged on the flesh with a dagger. The adage has been put forward from the practice of having a patient clench a bullet between their teeth, as a way of coping with the pain of a surgical procedure without anesthetic. ![]() If that person forces themselves to continue with the task in hand, they are said to ‘bite the bullet’. Occasionally, one is put in positions to do things that are either painful or objectionable, but must be done anyway. The word dates back to the 19th century and has been used since then, usually in contests, campaigns, and situations where there is competition.Įxample in a sentence: Musalia Mudavadi has thrown his hat in the ring for the presidential contest in 2022. ![]() However, because the fights had stakes on them, some would be charged and would want to jump in and challenge the opponents in the ring.īy throwing in their hats, they signified their intentions to join the fight, and let the referee know. Typically, a crowd of onlookers would surround the circle, where they would cheer their fighters on. They were not the square ones, with ropes that are around today. It means joining a contest or a race.īack in the 18th century and below, the rings were circular. Interestingly, throwing a hat in the ring has the opposite meaning to throwing in the towel. Thus, throwing in the sponge, just like throwing in the towel, meant giving up and conceding defeat. Normally, sponges are always around the ring, to boxers’ sweat or blood during breaks. Throwing in the towel was used interchangeably with ‘throwing in the sponge’. If a candidate withdraws from a cut-throat electoral race, we could say he has thrown in the towel. The phrase then evolved to be used in non-boxing contexts. It was after that incident that the word was used figuratively. What followed is that the opponent’s side, threw in the towel to signify they had accepted defeat. That happened when a boxer was subdued and the referee did not stop the match. ![]() Historically, when a boxer sensed defeat after soaking up blows, and his side wanted to stop the fight, they would throw in a towel in the ring to indicate surrender. The idiom evolved around the boxing ring. A pugilistic (boxing) phrase, it means to give up, to quit, to avoid further humiliation or domination when facing defeat in a contest. ![]()
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