grit
grit
Bravery or moxie. You've got a lot of grit—I would never be able to skydive with my fear of heights!
grit (one's) teeth
1. To clench one's teeth, as from anger, pain, or displeasure. The doctor didn't have any anesthetic, so all I could do was grit my teeth while he stitched the wound in my leg. He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth after overhearing the insults from the man behind him.
2. To become resolved to do or accept something particularly difficult or unpleasant. If you hate this class so much, you better grit your teeth and get a passing grade so that you don’t have to take it again next year. The senators put aside their differences, gritted their teeth, and worked together to solve the crisis.
See also: grit, teeth
true grit
True resolve, determination, or strength of character. The film focuses on the true grit of a band of women who defied social norms in the late 1950s to become prominent figures in politics.
See also: grit, true
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
grit one's teeth
Fig. to grind or clench one's teeth together in anger or determination. I was so mad, all I could do was stand there and grit my teeth. All through the race, Sally was gritting her teeth. She was really determined.
See also: grit, teeth
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
grit one's teeth
Summon up one's strength to face unpleasantness or overcome a difficulty. For example, Gritting his teeth, he dove into the icy water. This expression uses grit in the sense of both clamping one's teeth together and grinding them with effort. [Late 1700s]
See also: grit, teeth
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
grit your teeth
COMMON If you grit your teeth, you continue to do something or accept a situation even if it is difficult or unpleasant. There is going to be hardship, but we have to grit our teeth and get on with it. There were five games in nine days, but the players gritted their teeth and kept going.
See also: grit, teeth
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
grit your teeth
make a great effort to keep your resolve when faced with an unpleasant or painful duty. 2001 Flower and Garden Magazine Mini rose canes should also be pruned to half their length. This can be traumatic for the rosarian, especially if your plant is already in bloom or has lots of buds. But just grit your teeth and do it—your plant will be healthier and happier, and it will produce lots more flowers than it would without this initial pruning.
See also: grit, teeth
true grit
strength of character; stamina. informalGrit in this colloquial sense originated in early 19th-century US English.
See also: grit, true
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
grit your ˈteeth
be determined to continue to do something in a difficult or an unpleasant situation: When I was a boy, I was forced to have a cold shower every morning. I hated it but I just had to grit my teeth and do it. She shouted at me but I just gritted my teeth and said nothing.The basic meaning of grit your teeth is to bite your teeth tightly together.See also: grit, teeth
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
grit
n. courage; nerve. It takes a lot of grit to do something like that.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
grit one's teeth, to
To summon up strength to bear pain, misfortune, or some other unpleasant matter, or determination for a difficult task. The idea of setting one’s teeth goes back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Menander wrote, “Set your teeth and endure” (The Girl from Samos, ca. 300 b.c.). “Gritting the teeth” describes both setting or clamping them together and grinding them with the effort. In 1797 Thomas Jefferson described his colleague, “Mr. Adams . . . gritting his teeth, said . . .”
See also: grit
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- grit (one's) teeth
- grit one's teeth
- grit teeth
- grit your teeth
- grit one's teeth, to
- bite into
- bite into (something or someone)
- feeling (one's) moxie
- feeling one's Moxie
- moxie