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If a man tastes something bitter and then runs away, what do you get? A man in discomfort? A disappointed (that is to say, bitter!) man? No, you get a “sternly handsome” man, whatever that is!

苦味走った (nigamibashitta: sternly handsome)
     bitter + taste + to run

The first two characters form the word 苦味 (nigami or kumi), meaning “bitterness” or “bitter taste.” Meanwhile, 走った (hashitta, voiced here as bashitta) looks like the past tense of the verb 走 (hashi(ru): to run). But actually, 走った functions here as a participle, a verbal adjective describing the implied 男 (otoko: man). That is, he’s a man who ran after he ate something bitter. Sounds like a wuss to me, but maybe some people find such behavior attractive in men.

Grammar aside, it’s hard to know what’s going on in this compound! I mean, I understand why the man is stern. But was he handsome before eating the bitter food? Or does the severity of his expression add to his good looks?
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