What is to get blood on the tooth?
Getting blood on the tooth literally means ‘to get blood on your teeth’.
The blood in question refers to a predator’s prey, although the expression itself is figurative and has little to do with actual teeth and blood, but is rather about being motivated.
Specifically, to get blood on the tooth refers to the special kind of determination that a wild animal gets after smelling blood.
Why do I need to know to get blood on the tooth?
A Dane saying I got blood on my tooth (“I got blood on my tooth”) is really saying that they really got into something and couldn’t stop until it was finished: The plan was for us to paint outside the bathroom, but then we got blood on our teeth and ended up painting the whole apartment (“We meant to paint the bathroom, but then we got carried away and ended up painting the whole apartment”).
Getting blood on the tooth is not something you say if you indulged or splurged, however.
A Dane would not, for example, say I took one small chip, got blood on my tooth and ate the whole package (“I had one small crisp, got my teeth into it and ate the whole bag”). That is because to get blood on the tooth is not really about excess.
As well as passively getting “blood on your teeth” a person or thing can also give someone else blood on their teeth.
For example, if you try out rock climbing for the first time and the experience gives you such a taste for the sport that it becomes your biggest hobby. Or if your best friend encourages you to try writing that short story you’ve been talking about, and you listen to them and throw yourself into the task: they gave you “blood on your teeth”.
To get blood the tooth, then, expresses determination and drive. Like when you start cleaning your apartment, realize how filthy it is and keep on going until it’s all bright and shiny.
Example
I ran my first 10-kilometer race in Copenhagen in 2017. It got me pumped and I started training for a marathon.
I ran in a 10-kilometer race for the first time in Copenhagen in 2017. It gave me a passion for the sport and I started training for a marathon.
