Definition
An unpleasant or difficult truth, situation, or consequence that must be accepted, despite being disagreeable or hard to bear.
Etymology
This phrase dates to the late 17th century and refers to the literal difficulty of swallowing bitter-tasting medicine. Before modern pill coatings and flavoring, medicines were often extremely bitter and unpalatable, making the act of swallowing them a genuinely unpleasant but necessary experience for health.
Kelly Says
The phrase perfectly captures how we process difficult realities - just as bitter medicine might be necessary for physical health, accepting hard truths is often necessary for emotional or psychological well-being. Interestingly, the taste of bitterness evolved as a warning system against toxins, so our natural aversion to 'bitter pills' operates on both literal and metaphorical levels.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
አረረ መድኃኒት
arere medhanit
ARالعربية
حبة مريرة
ḥabbat murīrah
BNবাংলা
তিক্ত ওষুধ
tikto oshudh
CACatalà
píndola amarga
/pinˈdɔlə əˈmaɾɣə/
CSČeština
hořká pilulka
/ɦo.rʒkaː pɪ.lʊl.ka/
DADansk
en bitter pille
/ɛn ˈbidɐ pʰilə/
DEDeutsch
bittere Pille
/bɪtəʁə ˈpɪlə/
ELΕλληνικά
πικρή πίλη
pikrí píli
ESEspañol
píldora amarga
pi.l.do.ɾa a.maɾ.ɡa
FAفارسی
دوا تلخ
davā talx
FISuomi
katkera lääke
/ˈkatkera ˈlæːkeː/
FRFrançais
pilule amère
/pɥi.jɔl a.mɛʁ/
GUGU
કડવી દવા
kaḍavī davā
HAHA
magani mai tsoro
ma.gani mai tso.ro
HEעברית
גלולה מרה
glulah marah
HIहिन्दी
कड़वी गोली
kaṛvī golī
HUMagyar
keserű pirula
/kɛ.sɛ.ɾyː pi.ɾu.lɒ/
IDBahasa Indonesia
pil amar
pil a.mar
IGIG
ọgwụ ọjọọ
ɔ.ɡwu ɔ.jɔ.ɔ
ITItaliano
pillola amara
/piˈlɔlla aˈmaːra/
KMKM
ថ្នាំពិបាក
thnam pipaak
KO한국어
쓰라린 약
sseulalin yak
MRMR
कटू औषध
kaṭū auṣadha
MSBahasa Melayu
pil pahit
pil pa.hit
MYမြန်မာ
ချိုမှုန့် ဆေး
hkyo hmu nait hce
NLNederlands
bittere pil
/ˈbɪ.tərə pɪl/
NONorsk
en bitter pille
/ɛn ˈbitɾə pɪlə/
PAPA
ਕੌੜਾ ਦਵਾਈ
kauṛā davāī
PLPolski
gorzka pigułka
/ɡɔrʐ.ka pi.ˈɡuw.ka/
PTPortuguês
pílula amarga
/ˈpi.lu.lɐ a.ˈmaɾ.ɡɐ/
RORomână
pastilă amară
/pasˈtilə aˈmarə/
RUРусский
горькая пилюля
gorkaya pilulya
SVSvenska
besk smak
/bɛsk smak/
SWKiswahili
dawa ya uchungu
da.wa ya u.chu.ngu
TAதமிழ்
கசப்பான மாத்திரை
kacappāṉa māttirai
TEతెలుగు
చేదు మందు
cēdu mandu
TLTL
mapait na gamot
ma.pait na ga.mot
TRTürkçe
acı bir gerçek
a.d͡ʒɯ bɯr ɡe.ɾe.kɪ
UKУкраїнська
гірка пігулка
hirkapihulka
URاردو
کڑوا گولہ
kaṛvā golah
VITiếng Việt
viên thuốc đắng
vi.ɛn thƥɔk ɗaŋ
YOYO
àgbò ogun
a.ɡbɔ o.gun
ZH中文
苦口良药
kǔ kǒu liáng yào
ZUZU
imithi emibi
i.mi.thi e.mi.bi