The bitter end

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Meaning

The final limit or conclusion, especially when reaching it is difficult or unpleasant. Commonly implies persistence through adversity, but it can also mean simply the last possible point. Regional use: Nautical origin; now general English.

Origin

On a ship, bitts are posts used to secure cable, and the bitter end is the part at or around them when no more cable can be paid out. Seventeenth-century nautical descriptions use 'bitter' and 'bitter's end.' The modern figurative phrase was probably encouraged by ordinary 'bitter,' meaning painful; historical evidence does not justify pretending that only one of the two associations mattered.

Research Sources

  1. Bitter end: nautical origin of this English idiom World Wide Words
  2. Origin of Navy Terminology U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command

Variants

  • To the bitter end
  • Until the bitter end

Usage Examples

  • They defended the unpopular bridge project to the bitter end.
  • The cable ran to the bitter end before the anchor caught.
  • She stayed with the failing expedition until the bitter end.

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