bite (redirected from biting the bullet)

bite  (bt)

v. bit (bt), bit·ten (btn) or bit, bit·ing, bites

v.tr.

1. To cut, grip, or tear with or as if with the teeth.

2.

a. To pierce the skin of with the teeth, fangs, or mouthparts.

b. To sting with a stinger.

3. To cut into with or as if with a sharp instrument: The ax bit the log deeply.

4. To grip, grab, or seize: bald treads that couldn't bite the icy road; bitten by a sudden desire to travel.

5. To eat into; corrode.

6. To cause to sting or be painful: cold that bites the skin; a conscience bitten by remorse.

v.intr.

1. To grip, cut into, or injure something with or as if with the teeth.

2. To have a stinging effect.

3. To have a sharp taste.

4. To take or swallow bait.

5. To be taken in by a ploy or deception: tried to sell the Brooklyn Bridge, but no one bit.

6. Vulgar Slang To be highly disagreeable or annoying.

n.

1. The act of biting.

2. A skin wound or puncture produced by an animal's teeth or mouthparts: the bite of an insect.

3.

a. A stinging or smarting sensation.

b. An incisive, penetrating quality: the bite of satire.

4. An amount removed by or as if by an act of biting: Rezoning took a bite out of the town's residential area.

5. An excerpt or fragment taken from something larger, such as a film.

6.

a. An amount of food taken into the mouth at one time; a mouthful.

b. Informal A light meal or snack.

7. The act or an instance of taking bait: fished all day without a bite; an ad that got a few bites but no final sales.

8.

a. A secure grip or hold applied by a tool or machine upon a working surface.

b. The part of a tool or machine that presses against and maintains a firm hold on a working surface.

9. Dentistry The angle at which the upper and lower teeth meet; occlusion.

10. The corrosive action of acid upon an etcher's metal plate.

11. Slang An amount of money appropriated or withheld: trying to avoid the tax bite.

Idioms:

bite off more than (one) can chew

To decide or agree to do more than one can finally accomplish.

bite (someone's) head off

To respond to a comment in an angry or reproachful way.

bite the bullet Slang

To face a painful situation bravely and stoically.

bite the dust Slang

1. To fall dead, especially in combat.

2. To be defeated.

3. To come to an end.

bite the hand that feeds (one)

To repay generosity or kindness with ingratitude and injury.

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[Middle English biten, from Old English btan; see bheid- in Indo-European roots.]

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bita·ble, bitea·ble adj.

biter n.

Synonyms: bite, champ¹, chomp, gnaw
These verbs mean to seize and tear or grind something with the teeth: bite into a ripe apple; a horse champing at its bit; a cow chomping its hay; a dog gnawing a bone.

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bite [baɪt]

vb bites, biting, bit, bitten

1. to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws

2. (of animals, insects, etc.) to injure by puncturing or tearing (the skin or flesh) with the teeth, fangs, etc., esp as a natural characteristic

3. (tr) to cut or penetrate, as with a knife

4. (of corrosive material such as acid) to eat away or into

5. to smart or cause to smart; sting mustard bites the tongue

6. (Individual Sports & Recreations / Angling) (intr) Angling (of a fish) to take or attempt to take the bait or lure

7. to take firm hold of or act effectively upon

8. (Engineering / Mechanical Engineering) to grip or hold (a workpiece) with a tool or chuck

9. (Engineering / Mechanical Engineering) (of a screw, thread, etc.) to cut into or grip (an object, material, etc.)

10. (tr) Informal to annoy or worry what's biting her?

11. (often passive) Slang to cheat

12. (tr; often foll by for) Austral and NZ slang to ask (for); scrounge from

bite off more than one can chew Informal to attempt a task beyond one's capability

bite the bullet to face up to (pain, trouble, etc.) with fortitude; be stoical

bite someone's head off to respond harshly and rudely (to)

bite the dust See dust [11]

bite the hand that feeds one to repay kindness with injury or ingratitude

once bitten, twice shy after an unpleasant experience one is cautious in similar situations

put the bite on (someone) Austral slang to ask (someone) for money

n

1. the act of biting

2. a thing or amount bitten off

3. a wound, bruise, or sting inflicted by biting

4. (Individual Sports & Recreations / Angling) Angling an attempt by a fish to take the bait or lure

5. Informal an incisive or penetrating effect or quality tthat's a question with a bite

6. a light meal; snack

7. a cutting, stinging, or smarting sensation

8. (Engineering / Tools) the depth of cut of a machine tool

9. (Engineering / Mechanical Engineering) the grip or hold applied by a tool or chuck to a workpiece

10. (Medicine / Dentistry) Dentistry the angle or manner of contact between the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed naturally

11. (Engineering / Tools) the surface of a file or rasp with cutting teeth

12. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) the corrosive action of acid, as on a metal etching plate

[Old English bītan; related to Latin findere to split, Sanskrit bhedati he splits]

biter  n

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Bite a piece bitten off; a mouthful, 1535; Thieves’ cant. cash or money.

Example: a bite of mites (modern pun).

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	bite - a wound resulting from biting by an animal or a person dog bite - a bite inflicted by a dog snakebite - a bite inflicted by a (venomous) snake wound, lesion - an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
	2.	bite - a small amount of solid food; a mouthful; "all they had left was a bit of bread" morsel, bit mouthful, taste - a small amount eaten or drunk; "take a taste--you'll like it" chaw, chew, cud, plug, quid, wad - a wad of something chewable as tobacco crumb - small piece of e.g. bread or cake sop, sops - piece of solid food for dipping in a liquid
	3.	bite - a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin insect bite, sting harm, hurt, injury, trauma - any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc. bee sting - a sting inflicted by a bee flea bite - sting inflicted by a flea mosquito bite - a sting inflicted by a mosquito
	4.	bite - a light informal meal                 collation, snack meal, repast - the food served and eaten at one time refreshment - snacks and drinks served as a light meal nosh - (Yiddish) a snack or light meal coffee break, tea break - a snack taken during a break in the work day; "a ten-minute coffee break"; "the British have tea breaks"
	5.	bite - (angling) an instance of a fish taking the bait; "after fishing for an hour he still had not had a bite" fishing, sportfishing - the act of someone who fishes as a diversion success - an event that accomplishes its intended purpose; "let's call heads a success and tails a failure"; "the election was a remarkable success for the Whigs"
	6.	bite - wit having a sharp and caustic quality; "he commented with typical pungency"; "the bite of satire" pungency humor, wit, witticism, wittiness, humour - a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
	7.	bite - a strong odor or taste property; "the pungency of mustard"; "the sulfurous bite of garlic"; "the sharpness of strange spices"; "the raciness of the wine" raciness, pungency, sharpness spicery, spiciness, spice - the property of being seasoned with spice and so highly flavored
	8.	bite - the act of gripping or chewing off with the teeth and jaws chomp eating, feeding - the act of consuming food munch - a large bite; "he tried to talk between munches on the sandwich" nibble - gentle biting pinch, nip - a small sharp bite or snip
	9.	bite - a portion removed from the whole; "the government's weekly bite from my paycheck" subtraction, deduction - the act of subtracting (removing a part from the whole); "he complained about the subtraction of money from their paychecks" jargon, lingo, patois, argot, vernacular, slang, cant - a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves); "they don't speak our lingo"
Verb	1.	bite - to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws; "Gunny invariably tried to bite her" seize with teeth grip - hold fast or firmly; "He gripped the steering wheel" gnaw - bite or chew on with the teeth; "gnaw an old cracker" bite off, snap at - bite off with a quick bite; "The dog snapped off a piece of cloth from the intruder's pants" snap - bring the jaws together; "he snapped indignantly" nibble - bite gently; "The woman tenderly nibbled at her baby's ear" nip - give a small sharp bite to; "The Queen's corgis always nip at her staff's ankles" nibble - bite off very small pieces; "She nibbled on her cracker" bite off, snap at - bite off with a quick bite; "The dog snapped off a piece of cloth from the intruder's pants"
	2.	bite - cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort; "The sun burned his face" sting, burn nettle, urticate - sting with or as with nettles and cause a stinging pain or sensation burn - feel hot or painful; "My eyes are burning" hurt, smart, ache - be the source of pain
	3.	bite - penetrate or cut, as with a knife; "The fork bit into the surface" pierce - make a hole into; "The needle pierced her flesh"
	4.	bite - deliver a sting to; "A bee stung my arm yesterday" sting, prick pierce - make a hole into; "The needle pierced her flesh"

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bite

verb

1. nip, cut, tear, wound, grip, snap, crush, rend, pierce, champ, pinch, chew, crunch, clamp, nibble, gnaw, masticate Llamas won't bite or kick.

2. sting, wound, prick We were all badly bitten by mosquitoes.

3. take effect, work, be effective, take hold, come into force, produce results, have the desired effect, become operative As the sanctions begin to bite there will be more difficulties.

4. eat, burn, smart, sting, erode, tingle, eat away, corrode, wear away nylon biting into the flesh

5. take the bait, be lured, be enticed, rise to the bait The fish stopped biting.

noun

1. nibble, taste, peck, munch, gnaw He took another bite of the apple.

2. snack, food, piece, taste, refreshment, mouthful, morsel, titbit, light meal a bite to eat

3. wound, sting, pinch, nip, prick The boy had suffered a snake bite but he made a quick recovery.

4. chill, nip, sharpness, coolness, coldness, rawness, crispness There was a bite in the air, a smell perhaps of snow.

5. edge, interest, force, punch (informal), sting, zest, sharpness, keenness, pungency, incisiveness, acuteness The novel seems to lack bite and tension.

6. kick (informal), edge, punch (informal), spice, relish, zest, tang, sharpness, piquancy, pungency, spiciness I'd have preferred a bit more bite and not so much sugar.

Translations

bite [baɪt] (bit (vb: pt) (bitten (pp)))

A. N

1. (= act) → mordisco m; (= wound) [of dog, snake etc] → mordedura f; [of insect] → picadura f; (= toothmark) → dentellada f
to take a bite at → morder
the dog took a bite at him → el perro intentó morderlo
to take a bite out of [+ apple etc] → dar un mordisco a (esp US) (fig) [+ savings, budget] → llevarse un pellizco de
he wants another or a second bite at the cherry → quiere otra oportunidad, quiere probar otra vez
to put the bite on sb (US) → hacer cerrar el pico a algn

2. [of food] → bocado m
I've not had a bite to eat → no he probado bocado
do you fancy a bite (to eat)? → ¿te apetece algo(de comer)?
I'll get a bite (to eat) on the train → tomaré algo en el tren

3. (Fishing) are you getting any bites? → ¿están picando?

4. (fig) (= sharpness) → mordacidad f; [of food, drink] → fuerza f
a novel with bite → una novela mordaz
a speech with bite → un discurso mordaz or incisivo
without any bite → sin garra
there's a bite in the air → hace un frío cortante

B. VT

1. [dog, person] → morder; [bird, fish, insect] → picar
it won't bite (you)! → ¡no te va a morder!, ¡no muerde!
to bite sth in two → partir algo en dos de un mordisco
to bite one's nails → comerse or morderse las uñas
what's biting you? → ¿qué mosca te ha picado?
to get bitten (= be cheated) → dejarse timar
to be bitten with the desire to do sth → tener el gusanillo de hacer algo
to bite the bullet → enfrentarse al toro
to bite the dust (= die) → morder el polvo; (= fail) → venirse abajo
it's the old story of biting the hand that feeds you → ya sabes "cría cuervos(y te sacarán los ojos)"
to bite one's lip or tongue → morderse la lengua
once bitten twice shy → el gato escaldado del agua fría huye

2. [acid] → corroer (Mech) → asir, trabar

C. VI

1. [dog, person] → morder; [insect, fish] → picar
to bite at → tratar de morder

2. (fig) [cuts, inflation etc] → hacerse sentir
the strike is beginning to bite → la huelga empieza a hacer mella

bite back

A. VT + ADV [+ words] → dejar sin decir, tragarse

B. VI + ADV the dog bit back → el perro mordió a su vez

bite into VI + PREP [person] → meter los dientes en; [acid] → corroer

bite off VT + ADV → arrancar con los dientes
to bite off more than one can chew → abarcar demasiado
to bite sb's head off → echar una bronca a algn

bite on VI + PREP → morder

bite through VI + PREP [+ string, thread] → cortar con los dientes; [+ tip, one's tongue] → morderse
he fell and bit through his tongue → se cayó y se mordió la lengua

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bite [ˈbaɪt] [bit] [ˈbɪt] (pt) [bitten] [ˈbɪt^ən] (pp)

vt [person, animal, snake] → mordre; [mosquito] → piquer
I got bitten by mosquitoes → Je me suis fait piquer par des moustiques.
to bite one's nails → se ronger les ongles
to bite one's lip, to bite one's tongue (= keep quiet) → tenir sa langue
to bite the hand that feeds you → cracher dans la soupe
to bite sb's head off → rembarrer qn

vi

[person, animal, snake] → mordre; [mosquito] → piquer

(= take bait) [fish] → mordre (à l'hameçon)

(= take effect) [sanctions, recession] → se faire sentir

n [dog, snake, person] → morsure f

(= insect bite) → piqûre f

(= mouthful) → bouchée f
to take a bite of sth → prendre une bouchée de qch
Do you want a bite?
BUT Tu en veux un peu?.
to have a bite to eat → manger un morceau
Let's have a bite to eat → Mangeons un morceau., Mangeons quelque chose.

to take a bite out of [+ savings] → faire un trou dans; [+ profits] → réduire
bite-sized [ˈbaɪtsaɪzd] bite-size [ˈbaɪtsaɪz] adj [piece of food] → petit(e); [article, part] → mini-, miniature

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bite vb: pret <bit>, ptp <bitten>

n

→ Biss m; in two bites → mit zwei Bissen; he took a bite (out) of the apple → er biss in den Apfel; to get a second or another bite at the cherry (fig) → eine zweite Chance bekommen

(= wound etc) (= dog, snake, flea bite etc) → Biss m; (= insect bite) → Stich m; (= love bite) → (Knutsch)fleck m (inf)

(Fishing) I think I’ve got a bite → ich glaube, es hat einer angebissen

(of food) → Happen m; there’s not a bite to eat → es ist überhaupt nichts zu essen da; come and have a bite → komm und iss ’ne Kleinigkeit; do you fancy a bite (to eat)? → möchten Sie etwas essen?

there’s a bite in the air → es ist beißend kalt; the bite of the wind → der beißend kalte Wind

(of file, saw) the file has lost its bite → die Feile ist stumpf geworden; these screws don’t have enough bite → diese Schrauben greifen or fassen nicht richtig

(of sauce etc) → Schärfe f

vt

(person, dog) → beißen; (insect) → stechen; to bite one’s nails → an seinen Nägeln kauen; to bite one’s tongue/lip (lit, fig) → sich (dat) → auf die Zunge/Lippen beißen; the trapeze artist bites the rope between her teeth → die Trapezkünstlerin hält das Seil mit den Zähnen fest; don’t worry, he won’t bite you (fig inf) → keine Angst, er wird dich schon nicht beißen (inf); to bite the dust (inf) → dran glauben müssen (inf); he had been bitten by the travel/music bug → ihn hatte das Reisefieber/das Musikfieber erwischt (inf); once bitten twice shy (Prov) → (ein) gebranntes Kind scheut das Feuer (Prov); to bite the hand that feeds you (prov) → sich (dat) → ins eigene Fleisch schneiden; what’s biting you? (fig inf) → was ist mit dir los? (inf), → was hast du denn?

(cold, frost, wind) → schneiden in (+dat)

(file, saw) → schneiden in (+acc); (acid) → ätzen

(inf: = swindle) I’ve been bitten → ich bin reingelegt worden (inf)

vi

(dog etc) → beißen; (insects) → stechen

(fish, fig inf) → anbeißen

(cold, frost, wind) → beißen, schneiden

(wheels) → fassen, greifen; (saw, anchor) → fassen; (screw) → greifen

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bite [baɪt] (bit (vb: pt) (bitten (pp)))

1. n

a. (act) → morso; (wound, of dog, snake) → morsicatura; (of insect) → puntura
to take a bite at → dare un morso a, addentare

b. (of food) → boccone m
there's not a bite to eat → non c'è niente da mettere sotto i denti
do you fancy a bite (to eat)? → ti va di mangiare qualcosa?

c. (Fishing) he didn't get a single bite → non ha abboccato neanche un pesce

2. vt (gen) → mordere; (subj, dog) → morsicare, mordere; (insect) → pungere
to bite one's nails → mangiarsi le unghie
once bitten twice shy → una volta scottati...
to bite the hand that feeds you (fig) → sputare nel piatto in cui si mangia
to bite the dust (die) → lasciarci la pelle

3. vi

a. (dog) → mordere; (insect) → pungere

b. (fish) → abboccare

c. (fig) (policy, action) → farsi sentire

bite back vt + adv → trattenersi dal dire

bite into vi + prep (subj, person) → addentare, dare un morso a; (acid) → intaccare

bite off vt + adv → staccare con un morso
to bite off more than one can chew (fig) → fare il passo più lungo della gamba
to bite sb's head off (fig) → aggredire (verbalmente) qn

bite through vt + adv → tagliare con i denti

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bite

v bite [bait]

to seize, grasp or tear (something) with the teeth or jaws The dog bit his leg; He was bitten by a mosquito. byt يَعُضُّ захапвам, ухапвам (po)kousat, (po)štípat bide bißen δαγκώνω, τσιμπώ morder, picar (pez, etc) hammustama گاز گرفتن؛ نیش زدن puraista mordre, piquer לִנְשוֹך, לִנְגוֹס काटना ugristi (meg)harap, (meg)mar menggigit bíta mordere; pungere かむ 물다, 깨물다 (į)kąsti gigit bijten bite gryźć morder a muş­ca; a înţepa кусать pohrýzť, poštípať ugrizniti, pičiti zagristi bita กัด ısırmak 咬 кусати(ся); жалити کاٹنا cắn; châm đốt 咬

n

1 an act of biting or the piece or place bitten a bite from the apple; a mosquito bite. byt عَضَّه، قَضْمَـه ухапване sousto, kousnutí; štípnutí bid der Biß δάγκωμα, δαγκωματιά mordisco; picadura suutäis, hammustus گاز؛ گزندگی puraisu morsure, bouchée, piqûre נְגִיסָה, נְשִׁיכָה कौर, काट ugriz harapás, csípés gigitan bit morso; puntura かむこと 물기 įkandimas kodiens; kodums; dzēliens menggigit hap, beet bit, bitt, (insekt)stikk gryzienie, kęs mordidela muşcătură; înţepătură укус zahryznutie; uhryznutie; uštipnutie ugriz, pik ugriz tugga, bett รอยกัด ısırık 咬 кусок; укус کاٹنے کا کام یا مقام sự cắn; sự châm đốt 咬

2 the nibble of a fish on the end of one's line I've been fishing for hours without a bite. byt قِطْعَه، شَقْفَه، لُقْمَـه кълване zabrání bid das Anbeißen τσίμπημα δολώματος από ψάρι picada näkkamine گاز زدن به طعمۀسر قلاب nykäisy prise תְפִיסַת דַג चुभोना griz harapás, kapás hasil kailan ikan nart presa 餌に食いつくこと 미끼를 물기 kibimas (zivju) piekošanās dimakan umpan beet napp branie mordidela muşcătură (din momeală) клёв (za)brať (o rybách) prijem (za trnek) mamac napp งับ oltaya vurma 上釣 клювання; шматок شکار میں آنے والی مچھلی sự cắn câu (cá) （鱼的）上钓

adj biting

1 very cold and causing discomfort a biting wind. snerpende قارِس، شَديد лют ostrý, štiplavý bidende beißend τσουχτερός, πολύ κρύος penetrante, cortante lõikav تند و تیز؛ پر سوز pureva mordant חַד, צוֹרֵב कड़ाके की सर्दी štipav csípős sangat dingin bítandi, nístandi pungente 身を切るような 살을 에는 듯한 geliantis, smelkiantis ass; kodīgs angin dingin bijtend bitende dokuczliwy cortante muşcător резкий, пронизывающий ostrý oster oštar bitande หนาวมากและ acı, keskin, buz gibi 凜冽刺骨的 різкий نہایت خنک ، تکلیف دہ buốt 尖利刺人的

2 wounding or hurtful a biting remark. bitsige لاذِع، جارِح язвителен jedovatý bidende beißend δηκτικός, φαρμακερός mordaz, incisivo salvav کنایه آمیز pisteliäs cinglant צוֹרֵב निर्दयी, क्रूर jedak gúnyos menyakitkan meinlegur, særandi pungente 痛烈な 신랄한 kandus dzēlīgs gigitan scherp stikkende, sviende, skarp kąśliwy cortante muş­că­tor язвительный uštipačný jedek zajedljiv svidande, sarkastisk เจ็บปวด acımasız, iğneli, alaylı 尖酸刻薄的 їдкий, різкий دکھی کر دینے والا đau đớn 辛辣的

bite the dust

to fail; to be unsuccessful That's another scheme that's bitten the dust. in die stof byt يَفْشَل، يَسْقُط، يَهْوي провалям се selhat, neuspět bide i græsset ins Gras beißen αποτυγχάνω, καταρρέω morder el polvo põrmu varisema ناموفق بودن؛ با شکست روبرو شدن epäonnistua mordre la poussière לִיפּוֹל אַרְצָה, לְהִיהָרֵג धूल चाटना ne uspjeti kudarcba fullad, fűbe harap gagal, kalah misheppnast; bíða bana mordere la polvere 失敗する 실패하다 nepavykti, nepasisekti izgāzties (par projektu, plānu u.tml.) gagal in het zand bijten bite i gresset nie wypalić, nie udać się morder o pó a eşua падать ниц zlyhať, neuspieť polomiti si zobe propasti bita i gräset, stupa ประสบความล้มเหลว başarısızlığa uğramak, hezimete uğramak 失敗 програти, зазнати поразки ناکام ہونا thất bại ê chề 大败

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bite → قضمة, يِعَُض kousnout, kousnutí bid, bide beißen, Biss δάγκωμα, δαγκώνω morder, mordisco puraisu, purra mordre, morsure ugristi, ugriz mordere, morso かむ, かむこと 물기, 물다 bijten, hapje bite, bitt pogryźć, ukąszenie dentada, morder, mordida кусать, укус bett, bita กัด, รอยกัด ısırma, ısırmak cắn, miếng cắn 一口, 咬