Take the bitter with the sweet
Accept life's misfortunes as well as its joys.
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Words nearby Take the bitter with the sweet
take steps, take stock, take stock in, takes two, take the bit in one's mouth, Take the bitter with the sweet, take the bread out of someone's mouth, take the bull by the horns, take the cake, take the edge off, take the fall
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with Take the bitter with the sweet
take the bitter with the sweet
Accept adversity as well as good fortune, as in Although he got the job, he hadn't counted on having to work with Matthew; he'll just have to take the bitter with the sweet. This idiom uses bitter for “bad” and sweet for “good,” a usage dating from the late 1300s. It was first recorded in John Heywood's 1546 proverb collection. For a synonym, see take the rough with the smooth.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.