Raddle #523Ship Idioms

From BITTER to END

Sat, August 1, 2026
BITTER
  (6)

Clues, out of order

________ BITTER ________, one way for something to topple
BITTER________, a spring holiday
BITTER ________, (former) name of a hospital procedure
Add a letter to the front of BITTER to not fail
A grown-up BITTER
Change one letter in BITTER to get a bird
Change one letter in BITTER to get some trash
Change the first and last letters of BITTER to get one member of a BITTER
Change the third letter in BITTER and reverse it to get what's happening
BITTER: letters written around a ________
Mammal found at the end of BITTER

About this Raddle

Meaning simply “the very end” nowadays, “the bitter end” originally referred to the “bitt end”—the final part of a ship’s anchor rope that’s affixed to its deck.

Theme: Ship Idioms

So many everyday English expressions were born on the high seas. This week's Raddles feature phrases that were coinages of sailors, when they meant something literally applicable to ship life.