What it means
To eat humble pie is to admit you were bang wrong and take the embarrassment without kicking off, especially after you’ve been mouthing off. You swallow your pride, apologise, and let everyone enjoy their little I told you so moment. The phrase nods to old ‘umble pie’, made from a deer’s offal, so yeah, it’s meant to be unpleasant.
Usage examples
"He strutted in saying it was a guaranteed three points. They lost 4-0, so he turned up, bought the first round, and ate humble pie."
"He had to eat humble pie and apologise after the figures proved him wrong."
"I said it would never work, so now I am eating humble pie."
"She spent all week saying the new lad was useless, then he saved the whole project and she had to eat humble pie in the team meeting."
"I proper rinsed your idea at first, but fair play, it worked a treat. I'm eating humble pie here."
Where it comes from
It goes back to umble pie, a medieval dish made from a deer’s innards, the cheap bits usually eaten by servants while the fancy crowd got the better cuts. Over time, umble started sounding like humble, and the phrase stuck as a sharp little image for swallowing your pride and admitting you were wrong.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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