swallow, go down, a bitter pill (to swallow)

In fact, if the translation from the Greek in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is correct, it was Aristotle’s original observation that one swallow does not make spring, let alone summer. And that is apt, because a single victory proves nothing, welcome though it is.


2009 Dow Chemical's chief executive, Andrew Liveris, was forced to swallow a bitter pill on Thursday when the company cut its dividend for the first time since 1912.

a bitter pill (to swallow)
something that is very unpleasant but which must be accepted:
Losing the championship to a younger player was a bitter pill to swallow.

go down

1. Descend to a lower level; drop below the horizon, fall to the ground, or sink. For example, Don't let the baby go down the stairs alone, or The sun went down behind the hill, or I was afraid the plane would go down, or The ship went down and all hands were lost. [c. 1300]

2. Experience defeat or ruin, as in They went down fighting, or The boxer went down in the first round. [Late 1500s]

3. Decrease, subside, as in After Christmas prices will go down, or As soon as the swelling goes down it won't hurt as much. [Second half of 1600s]

4. Be swallowed, as in This huge pill just won't go down, or Your wine goes down very smoothly.[Second half of 1500s]

5. Be accepted or believed, as in How did your speech at the convention go down? When it takes an object, it is put as go down with, as in It's hardly the truth but it still goes down with many voters. [c. 1600]



6. Also, go down in history. Be recorded or remembered, as in This event must go down in her book as one of the highlights of the year, or This debate will go down in history. [Late 1800s]


7. Occur, take place, as in Really crazy behavior was going down in the sixties. [Slang; mid-1900s] Also see come down, def. 4.

8. Be sent to prison, as in He went down for a five-year term. [Slang; c. 1900]


9. In the game of bridge, fail to fulfill one's contract (that is, take fewer than the required number of tricks), as in We had bid four hearts and the bad distribution made us go down. [Early 1900s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with go down.

go down (HAPPEN) phrasal verb US SLANG
If an event such as a crime or a deal goes down, it happens:
I tried to tell Tyrell what was going down, but he wouldn't listen.

Expanding to the UK, Woolworth, declared “I believe that a good penny and sixpence store, run by a lively Yankee, would go down a storm in England,” a newspaper advert for the inaugural store, as well as mentioning the first floor tea room, proudly boasted ‘Nothing in the Stores over 6d’.


go down with sth UK phrasal verb (ALSO come down with sth)
to start to suffer from an infectious disease:
Half of Martha's class has gone down with flu.



swallow━━ n. ツバメ.
swallow dive　〔英〕 ＝swan dive.
swallow・tail　燕尾服(えんびふく); 燕尾（形の物）; 【虫】アゲハチョウ.
swallow・tailed　a. 燕尾形の.
swallow-tailed coat　燕尾服.


━━ v. のみ込む; 吸込む ((up)); 〔俗〕 早合点する, うのみにする; 耐え忍ぶ; 使いはたす ((up)); 抑える; もごもご言う; （前言を）取消す; （緊張などで）のどをごくりとさせる.
swallow whole　丸ごと飲み込む; うのみにする.
━━ n. のみ込むこと; ひとのみ（の量）; 食道.
swal・low・ing　━━ n. 嚥(えん)下運動.