bitter end
9
5.6
- noun
- Informal
:
hasta el final
- Despite the difficulties, she was determined to see the project through to the bitter end.
- fight to the bitter end
And even then, until the bitter end they will blame other people for their downfall.
- And even then, until the bitter end they will blame other people for their downfall.
- They will play out the vengeance fantasy till the bitter end.
- He wanted to go out with his followers on his throne, King to the bitter end.
- So we've got we've got some fun stuff ahead, but make sure to to stay tuned through the the bitter end for Mayim wrestling with her shadow self.
- My guess is he still thinks he's smarter than all of us, and he's going to play this to the bitter end.
- I would fight to the bitter end to make sure that I had equal visitation with my dogs.
- You've got to be there till the bitter end, till every last possible interview, sale, you know, screening, spending more money on film vessels.
Examples
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Sometimes you have to fight for your way of life to the bitter end.
Blog text (8) -
Prewitt stays right here to the bitter end.
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We'll fight for our rights to the bitter end.
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We're going to take it to the bitter end.
Fiction book (2000) -
We fought to the bitter end.
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I'll be with you till the bitter end.
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We'll hold them off 'til the bitter end.
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I would fight to the bitter end to make sure that I had equal visitation with my dogs.
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He is going to fight you to the bitter end.
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Like the carbon rationing proposal, these people will fight it to the bitter end.
Blog text (15)
Synonyms
14
7.1
The final part of a difficult situation that ends badly
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
bitter + end
The components 'bitter' (unpleasant, harsh) and 'end' (final part) transparently suggest an unpleasant or harsh final stage, so a learner who knows both words can infer an unpleasant ending. However, the full idiomatic nuance — continuing stubbornly or enduring difficulties until the very finish — goes beyond the straightforward composition and is not completely predictable without exposure, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
One popular story says the idiom bitter end comes from that ship image: the last part of a rope was the piece tied to a bitt, so to go to the bitter end meant going all the way to the very last part. That's why it now means 'to continue until the finish'.