Dictionary

eat humble pie en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

The spoken phrase a numble pie (a pie made from the entrails of a deer) was rebracketed as an umble pie, then written as (a) humble pie, after which the figurative meaning developed.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To admit one's faults; to make a humiliating apology.
   • Should the economists who sounded the alarm — the same people who got so many high-profile predictions wrong in recent years — be sitting down to eat another course of humble pie? Well, it’s not that simple. 2025 July 31, Jason Furman, “The tariffs kicked in. The sky didn’t fall. Were the economists wrong?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
   • They were good-natured enough out of their cups, and ate their humble-pie with very good appetites at a reconciliation dinner which Colonel W. had with the 44th, and where he was as perfectly stupid and correct as Prince Prettyman need be. Hang him! 1857–1858, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, chapter XII, in The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume I, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858, →OCLC:
   • If you don’t eat humble-pie now you may live to fare worse later. I can't help you a cent. Life's hard enough nowadays for an unprotected male. Let alone a girl. 1909 October, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “Expostulations”, in Ann Veronica: A Modern Love Story, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers, published 1909, →OCLC, § 5, page 130:
   • Angela shook her head. “Men are dull creatures.” “I have already granted that, and I am eating humble pie in asking for an explanation.” 1879, Henry James, Confidence, London: Chatto & Windus:
   • Polly had a spice of girlish malice, and rather liked to see domineering Tom eat humble-pie, just enough to do him good, you know. 1869–1870, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, An Old-Fashioned Girl, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, published 1870, →OCLC:
   • But there seems little doubt that [Francis] Fukuyama has had to eat rather a lot of humble pie. 2022 March 8, Andrew Anthony, “Liberalism and Its Discontents by Francis Fukuyama review – a defence of liberalism… from a former neocon”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC:

Forms

Relateds

eat crow · pass under the yoke · swallow one's pride

Translations (13)

pl pokajać się (to admit one’s faults) · es tragarse las palabras (to admit one’s faults) · hu megalázkodik (to admit one’s faults) · is leggja niður skottið (to admit one’s faults) · it mangiare la polvere (to admit one’s faults) · fr manger son chapeau (to admit one’s faults) · sv krypa till korset (to admit one’s faults) · fi pyytää nöyrästi anteeksi (to admit one’s faults) · nb krype til korset (to admit one’s faults) · de zu Kreuze kriechen (to admit one’s faults) · fi nöyrtyä (to admit one’s faults) · nb spise hatten sin (to admit one’s faults) · cs sypat popel na hlavu (to admit one’s faults)