Dictionary

eat crow en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˌit ˈkɹoʊ/ (US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

First appeared in the US in the 1870s under the form eat boiled crow. Further origin unknown. Crow meat is considered unfit for consumption, but this is true of very many animals. Compare perhaps the association of black birds with misfortune.

Meanings

1. (US, idiomatic) To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.
   • [Alison] Roman, now typical for such cases, ate crow with an apologetic statement about how she had reflected and realized her error. 2021, John H. McWhorter, chapter 1, in Woke Racism, New York: Forum, →ISBN:
   • Today’s change means we only have one Senate race, Ohio, rated as a Toss-up. Democrats surely hope we’ll have to eat crow on today’s update and pull Montana back into the Toss-up category later in the cycle. 2024 September 6, Kyle Klondik, University of Virginia Center for Politics:
   • In political libel, furthermore, a public recanting by the vilifier is more likely to be believed by the public, for it is well known that no politician likes to "eat crow" unless he has to. 1950, J.C.N.P., “Libel Actions by Political Organizations”, in University of Pennsylvania Law Review, volume 98, number 6, page 883:
   • The Nationals started with Jerome Herman ("Dizzy") Dean, who reveled in striking out Lou Gehrig in the first inning. Gehrig made Dean eat crow in the third inning by smashing a home run. 1937 July 19, “Baseball Races”, in Time, archived from the original on 06 Dec 2008:
   • He must apologise, he saw that clearly enough, must eat crow, as he told himself. 1901, Frank Norris, chapter 2, in The Octopus:

Forms

Relateds

eat humble pie · croweater · hard pill to swallow · bitter pill to swallow

Translations (14)

it ingoiare il rospo (to recognize that one has mistaken) · sv krypa till korset (to recognize that one has mistaken) · ru проглоти́ть го́рькую пилю́лю (to recognize that one has mistaken) · fi ottaa lusikka kauniiseen käteen (to recognize that one has mistaken) · fr faire amende honorable (to recognize that one has mistaken) · ru проглоти́ть пилю́лю (to recognize that one has mistaken) · fr reconnaître son erreur (to recognize that one has mistaken) · fr admettre son erreur (to recognize that one has mistaken) · es tragar sapos (to recognize that one has mistaken) · pl przyznawać się do błędu (to recognize that one has mistaken) · fr venir à Canossa (to recognize that one has mistaken) · fr aller à Canossa (to recognize that one has mistaken) · de zu Kreuze kriechen (to recognize that one has mistaken) · pl przyznać się do błędu (to recognize that one has mistaken)