For more on fossil words see Stan’s post on Fossil words of yore.īrowse the archive of Stories behind Words and get in touch if you’d like to suggest a word/phrase for the series. To admit an error and become submissive and apologetic. The expression, as well as recalling a vanished dish redolent of the medieval past, contains a fossil word (the noun humble(s) used attributively) and a rebracketing (of umble to humble). eat humble pie To become very humble in behaviour when someone points out a wrong doing by the person. Today the literal meaning has vanished, lingering only in continuing ideas of humble pie as something physical, so people talk not only about ‘eating humble pie’ but about having ‘a big piece of humble pie’, or ‘another slice/helping’ of it. The scientist had to eat humble pie when her research was proven to be flawed. The businessman had to eat humble pie when his company went bankrupt. The once-popular actor had to eat humble pie when his career began to decline. 136 You must get up and eat humble pie this morning, my boy. The arrogant manager had to eat humble pie when her team performed poorly under her leadership. Turner … did bring us an Umble-pie hot out of her oven.Īt some point, however, the resemblance of the deer’s (h/n)umbles to the adjective humble became irresistible and the literal pie became a metaphorical one signifying self-abasement:ġ854 Thackeray Newcomes I. Boil the umbles of a deer till they are very tender. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell 1240 The vmblis of venyson … To fayre maistres Anne that shuld haue be sent.ġ736 N. The OED cites several references both to the organs themselves and to an actual pie containing them:ġ523 J. From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englisheat humble pieeat humble pie (also eat crow American English)ADMIT to admit that you were wrong and say that.
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