bitter end
noun
- the inboard end of an anchor chain or cable, secured in the chain locker of a vessel.
- the end of any chain or cable.
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British Dictionary definitions for bitter end
noun
- to the bitter end until the finish of a task, job, or undertaking, however unpleasant or difficult
- until final defeat or death
Word Origin for bitter end
Idioms and Phrases with bitter end
The last extremity; also, death or ruin. For example, I'm supporting the union's demands to the bitter end, or Even though they fight a lot, I'm sure Mom and Dad will stay together to the bitter end. The source of this term may have been nautical, a bitter being a turn of a cable around posts, or bitts, on a ship's deck, and the bitter end meaning “the part of the cable that stays inboard.” Thus, when a rope is paid out to the bitter end, no more remains. [Mid-1800s]