What is the origin of the phrase “bite the bullet”?
I always understood the phrase ‘bite the bullet’ came from the time when smoothbore muskets were used in warfare. The bullet was made of a waxed paper cylinder containing the lead slug and the requisite amount of gunpowder. To load the musket the paper was unwrapped, the gunpowder poured in and the lead slug tamped down on top. As rounds/minute was often the deciding factor in musket volley fire actions, the soldiers would bite the wax paper cylinder to open it, saving seconds in the loading of their musket. This was very unpleasant for the soldiers as gunpowder would get into the mouth, drying it out and stinging the mouth and lips. So ‘bite the bullet’ in the sense of a neccessary, but unpleasant course of action filtered out of the military into general use.
