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a pill to swallow
/ə pɪl tu ˈswɒloʊ/
difficult truth or situation
Losing his job was a pill to swallow, but he knew he had to move on.
This phrase describes an unpleasant fact or event that someone must accept.
informal
a difficult or unpleasant truth, fact, or situation that one must accept
Admitting his mistake was a pill to swallow for the proud manager.
This shows accepting responsibility despite personal pride.
The news of the merger was a pill to swallow for many employees.
This indicates the merger was unwelcome but had to be accepted.
Often used to describe situations that are hard to accept emotionally or psychologically.
Collocations
hard pill to swallowan especially difficult truth to acceptbitter pill to swallowa very unpleasant truth or situation
Antonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Context Matters
Use 'a pill to swallow' when describing situations that are emotionally difficult to accept, not physical difficulties. For example, 'Failing the exam was a pill to swallow' (emotional) vs. 'Swallowing the pill was difficult' (physical).
Gold Rule
Emotional vs. Physical
This phrase is always metaphorical. Never use it to describe the act of swallowing actual medication.
Word Origin
The phrase combines the literal idea of swallowing medicine (a pill) with the metaphorical act of accepting something unpleasant. The metaphor dates back to the 16th century, where pills were often bitter or unpleasant-tasting, paralleling the difficulty of accepting harsh truths.
Usage Notes
This phrase is always used figuratively to describe emotional or psychological difficulty in accepting a situation. It is not used for physical swallowing or literal pills.
Word Breakdown
a pill
a single dose of medicine
noun phraseto swallow
to accept or endure something unpleasant
verb phraseEnglish Dictionary