Definition
The end of a long and difficult process.
Origins
The figurative usage is influenced by bitter (“unpleasant, arduous”). Indeed, the phrase has been reinterpreted by most today as bitter + end—compare bitter cold.
See Also
- bitts
- fight to the finish
- last gasp
- the end of one's rope
- until the bitter end
- to the bitter end
- to the bitter end and beyond