bitter end

English

Etymology

The figurative usage is influenced by bitter (“unpleasant, arduous”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

bitter end (plural bitter ends)

1. (nautical) That part of an anchor cable which is abaft the bitts and thus remains inboard when a ship is riding at anchor.

   pay out a rope to the bitter end (pay out all of the rope)

2. (nautical) The final six fathoms (11 m) of anchor chain before the point of attachment in the chain locker of modern US naval vessels.
3. (idiomatic) The end of a long and difficult process.

Derived terms

• bitter-ender

Related terms

• bitts

Translations

that part of an anchor cable which is abaft the bitts and thus remains inboard when a ship is riding at anchor

French: étalingure (fr) Russian: коренно́й (ru) (korennój) коне́ц (ru) (konéc)

the end of a long and difficult process

Finnish: katkera loppu

See also

• Appendix:Parts of the knot
• last gasp
• the end of one's rope
• until the bitter end
• to the bitter end
• to the bitter end and beyond

Anagrams

• berndtite