bitter pill to swallow

Something unpleasant that must be accepted or endured. Alternates Tough pill to swallow Hard pill to swallow Difficult pill to swallow Usage Notes Bitter pill(s) to swallow is not a set phrase. Only a little more than 40% of the usage at COCA with a form of swallow within 9 words before or after is of the form given. Other verbs such as take, down, and digest may replace swallow. About one third of the time bitter pill appears without any such verb nearby. Other adjectives modify pill about 60% of the time: hard, tough, bad, difficult, even easy. Sources Wiktionary