Face up to unpleasant situation: eat lead? (4,3,6)
I believe the answer is:
bite the bullet
'face up to unpleasant situation' is the definition.
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bite the bullet that I've seen before include "Taste dismissal" , "Be stoical" , "Decide on unpleasant action" , "Grapple with a problem head on" , "Grasp the nettle" .)