we must drink the cup
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
We must bear the burden awarded to us, the sorrow which falls to our lot.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “we must drink the cup” mean?
We must bear the burden awarded to us, the sorrow which falls to our lot.
Is “we must drink the cup” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.