humble pie

Related to humble pie: eat humble pie

humble pie

An admission that one is wrong, usually when it triggers great embarrassment or shame. The phrase derives from an actual "humble pie": a pie made from unpalatable animal parts, usually those of a deer. Ugh, now that my idea has failed, I'll have to eat humble pie in the board meeting tomorrow. I think Ellen is a perfectionist because the thought of having to eat humble pie terrifies her.
See also: humble, pie
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

humble pie

A meek admission of a mistake. The “humble pie” that we eat when we make a misjudgment or outright error was originally “umble” pie made from the intestines of other less appetizing animal parts. Servants and other lower-class people ate them, as opposed to better cuts. “Umble” became “humble” over the years until eating that pie came to mean expressing a very meek mea culpa. A similar phrase is “eat crow,” the bird being as unpalatable a dish as one's own words.
See also: humble, pie
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
See also:
  • eat humble pie
  • cutie
  • cutie pie
  • finger in every pie, to have a
  • be as American as apple pie
  • piecrust
  • piecrusts
  • promises are like pie crust(s): (easily made,) easily broken
  • promises are like pie crust(s): (they are) made to be broken
  • Promises are like piecrust, made to be broken
References in periodicals archive
"But I tipped Huddersfield to go down, so it's only right and proper that I should accept a large serving of humble pie.
Savage eating a large slice of humble pie
I HOPE that Mr Bill Kirby is right, and I look forward to eating, as he suggests, "a large portion of humble pie when we leave the EU and go from strength to strength and make our country a better place to live."
Damaging to country remaining in EU limbo; LETTERS Get in touch - tell us what you think Email: letters@coventrytelegraph.net Twitter: @coventrytelegraph Facebook: facebook.com/coventrytelegraph Post: Coventry Telegraph, Leicester Row, Canal Basin, Coventry, CV1 4LY
Kezia Dugdale is leader of Scottish Labour IT HAS been a week of motherhood and humble pie for Andrea Leadsom.
Leadsom faces mother of all backlashes
I'm curious about the phrase eat humble pie. Where did it come from?
Shameful dish
They're working together on cookery game show, Humble Pie. And Marco may have met his match.
I'm not really superwoman
HUMBLE PIE (WATCH, 8pm) TAKE a dollop of cookery show, a dash of game show and a seasoning of celebrity chef, mix them up and this is the result.
WE LOVE FOOD
BREWER Jim Porter was seeking perfection When brewing brown ale he found the connection A flagship beer it would soon become And earn Jim Porter a tidy sum A mature smooth refreshing travelling ale, Soon impressed on a worldwide scale Brown ale is mentioned in a Humble Pie song Knowing when singing it they could do no wrong Famous now the world over From mighty New York too little Dover Beware when drinking Newcastle Brown, A little too much can bring you down The morning after it has been said, Never again, I'm too hung over to get out of bed.
Newcastle Brown Ale; POEMS OF THE DAY
Rosy Redsheep IF Tan wants to get the fans on his side he needs to eat a large slice of humble pie. Admit the change of kit colour was a mistake (he can't claim red is lucky any more) and convert his directors' loans into equity.
Word on the web Cardiff City's [...]
But all the stars were left eating humble pie after their gigs were shunned in favor of mourning the dead.
Eid in Beirut: mourn the dead, cancel Haifa and Elissa concerts
@MichaelMcKillop Jill Angus ALL the people who were criticising Steele last season - time to eat humble pie. He's been sublime this season.
Boro
Taber, owner of the Ever So Humble Pie Company, is balking at the Braintree Farmers Market's demand that she accept the cards in payment for her wares.
The Whoopie principle; A baker takes a stand
We must ALL come to our collective senses and be prepared to eat the humble pie which circumstances demand.
Be prepared to eat humble pie; Views of the North
eating pie in the street on the Royal Wedding day is you, David Cameron, you should be eating humble pie admitting you got everything wrong and then resigning.
No cause to party; emails&letters
I quietly removed the bit, put the machine back together and ate a large piece of humble pie.
Do as I say ..
Locals from Wigan are known as the pie eaters after striking workers in the early 20th century general strike were the first to return to work and were said to 'have eaten humble pie'.
Man gobbles pie in record breaking time