grit one's teeth
noun
1.
abrasive particles or granules, as of sand or other small, coarse impurities found in the air, food, water, etc.
2.
firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck: She has a reputation for grit and common sense.
3.
a coarse-grained siliceous rock, usually with sharp, angular grains.
4.
British, gravel.
5.
sand or other fine grainy particles eaten by fowl to aid in digestion.
verb (used with object)
6.
to cause to grind or grate together.
00:10
Grit one's teeth
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
verb (used without object)
Idioms 7.
to make a scratchy or slightly grating sound, as of sand being walked on; grate.
8.
grit one's teeth, to show tenseness, anger, or determination by or as if by clamping or grinding the teeth together.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English gret, griet, grit, Old English grēot; cognate with German Griess, Old Norse grjōt pebble, boulder; see grits
before 1000; Middle English gret, griet, grit, Old English grēot; cognate with German Griess, Old Norse grjōt pebble, boulder; see grits
Related forms
grit·less, adjective
grit·ter, noun
Synonyms
2. resolution, fortitude, courage.
2. resolution, fortitude, courage.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To grit one's teeth
Collins
World English Dictionary
grit (ɡrɪt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | small hard particles of sand, earth, stone, etc |
| 2. | Also called: gritstone any coarse sandstone that can be used as a grindstone or millstone |
| 3. | the texture or grain of stone |
| 4. | indomitable courage, toughness, or resolution |
| 5. | engineering an arbitrary measure of the size of abrasive particles used in a grinding wheel or other abrasive process |
| —vb , grits, gritting, gritted | |
| 6. | to clench or grind together (two objects, esp the teeth) |
| 7. | to cover (a surface, such as icy roads) with grit |
| [Old English grēot; related to Old Norse grjōt pebble, Old High German grioz; see | |
| 'gritless | |
| —adj | |
| Grit (ɡrɪt) | |
| —n, —adj | |
| an informal word for Liberal | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
grit
O.E. greot "sand, dust, earth, gravel," from P.Gmc. *greutan "tiny particles of crushed rock" (cf. O.S. griot, O.Fris. gret, O.N. grjot "rock, stone," Ger. Grieß "grit, sand"), from PIE ghreu- "rub, pound, crush" (cf. Lith. grudas "corn, kernel," O.C.S. gruda "clod"). Sense of "pluck, spirit" first
recorded Amer.Eng. 1808. Gritty in sense of "unpleasant" (of literature, etc.) is 1882, in reference to the sensation of eating gritty bread.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
grit definition
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
grit one's teeth
Summon up one's strength to face unpleasantness or overcome a difficulty. For example, Gritting his teeth, he dove into the icy water. This expression uses grit in the sense of both clamping one's teeth together and grinding them with effort. [Late 1700s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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