intestinal fortitude

intestinal fortitude

Strong courage, conviction, or determination; gumption; guts. Not everyone has the intestinal fortitude necessary to survive in the world of politics.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

intestinal fortitude

courage.
The expression was coined around 1915 by Dr John W. Wilce of Ohio State University, USA , as a deliberately euphemistic avoidance of the word guts .
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • have the guts
  • have the guts (to do something)
  • stay the distance
  • stay the course
  • show (someone) what (one's) made of
  • what you are made of
  • no guts, no glory
  • stick (one's) chin out
  • stick your chin out
  • what (one) is made of
References in periodicals archive
"Hot as hell" I can understand, but you seldom hear it this time of year outside of Florida and Arizona, and then only from transplanted northerners who lack the intestinal fortitude to stay home and face the music.
It took the so-called war-monger, Winston Churchill, to acquire the intestinal fortitude, face the truth and take the appropriate action.
"I think we showed intestinal fortitude in the second half to come back from 26-6 down" - Wales coach GRAHAM HENRY adeptly avoids using 'we've got guts' cliches.
He went digging into his own, vast supply of intestinal fortitude, and even that proved to be pivotal.
She had a quality Finns call "sisu," which is the intestinal fortitude to overcome difficulties and "get the job done" without complaining.
Between lunch and tea on day four England showed some 'intestinal fortitude' as Steve Waugh would call it.
"It would take imagination and intestinal fortitude," he said.
"It shows a lack of intestinal fortitude on the higher ups from dropping that charge.
Between Jasper's tutelage and his own intestinal fortitude, Kean finally got there, working in the suspension room for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated's No.
Not too many people would have had the intestinal fortitude to appoint a New Zealander to coach the British Lions.
Then we make an adjustment and start hitting her outside pitch, then they come back and somehow we found some intestinal fortitude and are able to come back."
"I admire his intestinal fortitude and I am delighted he will now be joining up with us.
There is a question mark still over that part of his make-up that the Americans refer to as "intestinal fortitude".
As such, it speaks to the intestinal fortitude of a people.
There have been times though that athletes have dug deep within their reservoir of experience and intestinal fortitude to win.