What it means
To grit your teeth is to clamp your jaw and push through something you hate, awkward, painful, boring, whatever, without kicking off. You’re not enjoying it, you’re enduring it, putting on a brave face and waiting for it to be over. Said a lot when you’ve got no choice but to crack on, especially at work or on packed public transport.
Usage examples
"Sat by a bloke demolishing tuna on the Tube, then got pinged into a last minute meeting. I gritted my teeth, smiled, and soldiered on."
"It was a brutal last mile, but she gritted her teeth and finished."
"Just grit your teeth and get the injection over with."
"I had to sit through the whole family dinner while my uncle chatted pure nonsense, so I just gritted my teeth and got on with it."
"The train was rammed, the air con was dead, and we were still twenty minutes out. Everyone just gritted their teeth till the doors opened."
Where it comes from
It comes straight from the literal act of clenching your jaw when you're in pain, raging, or forcing yourself through something rough. That physical image has been in English for ages, and the figurative sense grew naturally from it: hold it together, push through, don't crack in public.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Grandpa Jinglebelt Siesta Official watcher of this expression
Tell me, what have you got for me?