hard to swallow
Tough to believe
Hard to swallow describes something difficult to accept or believe.
The metaphor likens accepting an unpleasant truth to forcing down unpalatable food: The idea that she'd been lying all along was hard to swallow.
Often applied to excuses, explanations, or news that strains credulity: His alibi was a little hard to swallow.
- chokingBlocked airway condition
- crawBird's food storage pouch
- dysphagiaMedical swallowing difficulty
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- unpalatableUnpleasant to taste
disbelief · bitter pill · gag reflex · choke down · gulp · cognitive dissonance · too much to take · rejection · skepticism · shock · disillusionment · tall tale · fish story · big lie · sore throat · incredulity · resistance · dry mouth
- unbelievableunbelievable, incredible, inconceivable, implausible, unthinkable
hard to swallowbelievable
Able to convince
credible · plausible · convincing · self-evident · obvious
hard to swallowpalatable
Acceptable to the tongue
agreeable · easy to take · easy to swallow · acceptable · welcome
hard, hardly, swallow, harden, hardship, hardness, harder, swallowing, hardening