iːt ˈhʌmbəl paɪ
Food & Cooking
neutral
intermediate
- Literally:
- To eat a pie made from humble (innards)
What does "eat humble pie" mean?
- To admit error and apologize
- To accept humiliation gracefully
Examples
- After being proven wrong, he had to eat humble pie.
- The CEO ate humble pie when the scandal was revealed.
- She ate humble pie and apologized for her mistake.
Origin
From 'umble pie,' a pie made from the internal organs (umbles) of deer, eaten by servants while nobles ate the good meat. The spelling changed to 'humble' by the 19th century, reinforcing the meaning of humiliation.
How to use it
Describes forced admission of error, often publicly. Usually involves some embarrassment or loss of pride.
Similar expressions
eat crow
admit you were wrong
apologize
Opposites
stand your ground
refuse to apologize
Related idioms
- piece of cake
Something very easy to do
- a piece of cake
Something very easy to do
- in a nutshell
In a very brief or concise form
- an apple a day keeps the doctor away
Eating fruit or having a healthy diet helps maintain good health
- bite off more than you can chew
To take on more responsibility or work than one can handle
- don't put all your eggs in one basket
Don't risk everything on a single opportunity
Use it in a practice answer
Try "eat humble pie" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.