bitter medicine
bitter medicine, or bitter pill, or hard pill
Meaning
- something difficult to accept
- a fact that is hard to come to terms with but usually leaves no choice to acceptance
- unrelated to essential medicines or their taste, this represents having to swallow (accept) something not likable for the greater good
Example Sentences
- Initially, the lockdown during the pandemic was bitter medicine for all.
- The workers had to take the bitter medicine of a pay cut because of the heavy competition.
- The bitter medicine of exercising at 5 in the morning is much better than bedridden for several years.
- His favourite food is not available, so he took the bitter medicine of having what his mother had cooked for everyone at home.
- I took the bitter medicine of quitting my job when I had my baby, but the joy in her eyes when playing with me makes everything worth the while.
- The older man swallowed the bitter medicine of leaving his family behind because he could not see the pain in their eyes for him anymore.
- Reduced salaries are a dose of bitter medicine the companies will have to accept for their survival
Origin
The expression is speculated to have originated from the unpleasant taste of medicines meant to cure and heal, but this phrase’s precise origin cannot be traced accurately. The expression seems to have been originally derived from the idiom, “a bitter pill to swallow.” Kindly read the origin of “a bitter pill” and correlate. Also, share your thoughts below.
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