

This term to describe a difficult situation originates from the 1961 novel of the same name by Joseph Heller. No matter what I do, it’s not going to work out for me.” It’s often the case that each solution is dependent on another, and therefore neither one is possible to achieve.įor example, you can’t get a job without work experience BUT you can’t get work experience without a job. People say this to describe a situation, problem or task in which there is no obvious solution because of illogical, contradictory or paradoxical rules or conditions. Catch 22Ĭatch 22 is an interesting expression.

Perhaps this saying is taken from war times when soldiers would bite down on a bullet if they were in pain while receiving medical help without painkillers. “I’m going to have to bite the bullet and admit my mistake.” It’s likely something you have been putting off because it is uncomfortable to do, but you realize that you must just get on with it. When you bite the bullet, you do something that you would prefer not to do. It’s left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.” Bite the bullet “I wasn’t impressed with how the staff spoke to us.

A great example of this would be bad customer service. You just use it when you have had an experience that left you feeling unhappy, dissatisfied or displeased. It’s important to remember that with this idiom about bad things happening, there is no actual bad taste in your mouth. Interestingly, this is one of the English idioms from the Bible. “I have no idea what to do with the kids. If you’re feeling perplexed and unsure of what to do next, or perhaps you are confused and exhausted by an issue or difficult situation, you can express this by saying you are at your wit’s end.
