"... a bitter pill to swallow" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
Channel: Superduper English Idioms
Date: 2023-06-26

0:00 - How to Say, “... a bitter pill to swallow.”
0:43 - Examples of “... a bitter pill to swallow.”
1:35 - Meaning of “... a bitter pill to swallow.”
2:00 - Origin of “... a bitter pill to swallow.”
3:56 - More Examples of “... a bitter pill to swallow.”
4:43 - Conclusion

“... a bitter pill to swallow.”

If someone says that something is “a bitter pill to swallow”, or perhaps “a hard pill to swallow”, it means that something unpleasant, unwelcome, unwanted has happened and nothing can be done to change it.

This idiom is common in all dialects of English and will probably be understood no matter where in the world you use it.

“Our son lied to us, I know it’s a bitter pill to swallow,” you might be talking to your wife about how your teenage son told a big lie in order to avoid getting into trouble.

Maybe your home burned down in a fire, “Our home and all our memories have turned to ashes; I know it’s a bitter pill to swallow, but at least we still have each other.”

“Mom being right again is a bitter pill to swallow, dad, but you should be used to it by now!” you might be poking fun at your dad for being wrong again.

As you can see, if something happens that’s not to your liking, not your preference, not your cup of tea - but you absolutely cannot do anything about it or change it - then it’s “a bitter pill to swallow” or “a hard pill to swallow”.

The origin of the idiom, “a bitter pill to swallow” or “a hard pill to swallow”, can be traced back to English poet, John Dryden, who wrote the first iteration of this idiom, “a pill to swallow”, in 1668, in his “Essay of Dramatic Poesy”.

You see, in centuries past, taking pills was considered an unpleasant medical necessity and so swallowing pills was not really looked upon fondly. You could argue that people still don’t like taking pills, but at least there are other options nowadays!

In the coming centuries, “bitter” was added to “pill” and finally, “hard” was added to give us the two common idioms we have today. “A bitter pill” has always been more popular than “a hard pill”, but they are used interchangeably.

Though pills are an unpleasant thing to have to take or eat, we all know that if we take the right pills - no matter how bitter they are or how hard they are to swallow - we will soon feel better.

The same logic can be applied to things in life and so it’s no wonder that this idiom is so popular. The sooner we face, acknowledge, come to terms with the truth, the sooner we can move on and focus on making our lives better.

“Your husband cheating on you is a bitter pill to swallow, but at least you don’t have to live a life of lies anymore,” you might be comforting your friend.

Perhaps you were passed up for a promotion at your job, “It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but it just shows that sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know.”

“Knowing that my sister was my mom’s favourite was a bitter pill to swallow, but it explains a lot,” you might be confiding in your friend.

So, the next time you face a situation in which you must accept something irksome, vexatious, distressing, but realize that you must accept it, just say that it’s “a bitter pill to swallow”.

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References: https://grammarist.com/usage/bitter-pill-to-swallow-and-hard-pill-to-swallow/

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/a-bitter-pill-to-swallow

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+hard+pill+to+swallow

https://www.theidioms.com/bitter-pill/