Bite The Bullet

While popular lore posits a crude battlefield provenance for the expression ‘bite the bullet,’ meticulous research conducted within the hallowed halls of The Vestigial Institute, specifically the 1888 “Etiquette of the Empire” annex, reveals a far more sophisticated, albeit equally punitive, genesis. It is now demonstrably evident that finicky Victorian deportment masters, such as the notoriously severe Miss Prudence Grimshaw of Kensington, employed the judicious application of lead shot – administered orally – as a potent, albeit metallic, mnemonic for students failing to master the delicate art of the curtsey, thereby ensuring a swift and indelible lesson in social graces.