To eat humble pie means to admit that one was wrong or has made a mistake and to accept the consequences or criticism that comes as a result. It can also refer to admitting that one is inferior or less powerful than someone else. The phrase “humble pie” comes from the medieval practice of serving an animal’s entrails, considered a low-status food, to someone as a form of punishment or to humble them. Today, the phrase is used metaphorically to describe the act of humbling oneself or accepting a difficult or embarrassing situation.
After his candidate had lost the election, the boastful campaign manager had to eat humble pie.
- After losing the election, the candidate was forced to eat humble pie and publicly apologize for the campaign’s negative tactics.
- The CEO had to eat humble pie when it was revealed that the company’s financial reports were falsified.
- After being caught in a lie, the teenager had to eat humble pie and apologize to his parents.
- The team’s star player had to eat humble pie after losing the championship game.
- The businessman had to eat humble pie and accept a lower salary to keep his job.
- The teacher had to eat humble pie and admit that she was wrong about a student’s grade.
- The artist had to eat a humble pie and accept criticism of her work from the gallery owner.
- The politician had to eat humble pie and retract a statement that was proven to be false.
- The CEO had to eat humble pie after the company’s stock value dropped significantly.
- The athlete had to eat humble pie and apologize for a controversial comment on social media.
Synonyms
- To eat crow
- To apologize
- To admit defeat
- To eat dirt
- To eat one’s words
- To retract a statement
- To backtrack
- To take back
- To recant
- To make amends
- To make restitution
- To make a retraction
- To eat a slice of humble
- To acknowledge one’s mistake
- To eat humble
- To own up
- To fess up
- To cop to
- To eat a humble pie
- To eat a slice of crow
- To apologize profusely
- To beg forgiveness
- To make a public apology
- To make a groveling apology
- To eat a bitter pill
- To eat a slice of humble cake
- To eat crow: To eat crow means to admit that one was wrong or mistaken and to accept the consequences or humiliation that come with it.
- To apologize: To apologize means to express regret or say sorry for one’s actions, words, or behavior that has caused harm or offense to others.
- To admit defeat: To admit defeat means to acknowledge that one has been defeated or has failed in a particular endeavor or competition.
- To eat dirt: To eat dirt means to experience humiliation or be forced to accept a situation where one is treated poorly or disrespectfully.
- To eat one’s words: To eat one’s words means to retract or take back something one has said, especially if it was proven to be incorrect or false.
- To retract a statement: To retract a statement means to formally withdraw or take back something that one has previously said, usually due to its inaccuracy or falsehood.
- To backtrack: To backtrack means to reverse or go back on a previous position, decision, or statement.
- To take back: To take back means to retract or withdraw something that one has said or done.
- To recant: To recant means to publicly renounce or withdraw a previously held belief, opinion, or statement.
- To make amends: To make amends means to take actions or make reparations to compensate for a wrong or harm caused to someone.
- To make restitution: To make restitution means to restore or make compensation for a loss, damage, or injury caused to someone.
- To make a retraction: To make a retraction means to formally withdraw or correct a previous statement or claim.
- To eat a slice of humble pie: To eat a slice of humble pie means to experience a humbling or embarrassing situation that forces one to acknowledge their mistake or wrongdoing.
- To acknowledge one’s mistake: To acknowledge one’s mistake means to admit or recognize that one has made an error or acted wrongly.
- To eat humble: To eat humble means to experience humiliation or accept a lower status or position.
- To own up: To own up means to take responsibility for one’s actions, admit fault, or confess to something.
- To fess up: To fess up means to confess or admit to something, especially when one has done something wrong or made a mistake.
- To cop to: To cop to means to admit or confess to something, often when it is something negative or undesirable.
- To eat a humble pie: To eat a humble pie means to experience a humbling or embarrassing situation that forces one to acknowledge their mistake or wrongdoing.
- To eat a slice of crow: To eat a slice of crow means to experience humiliation or embarrassment as a result of being proven wrong or mistaken.
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The Emperor’s Humility: A Feast of Consequences
Emperor Tiberius, renowned for his arrogance and iron fist, stood before his court, his face contorted in fury. “The prophecy is folly!” he boomed, “A mere fabrication by superstitious peasants!”
He scoffed at the wizened seer who had dared warn of a volcanic eruption imminent, threatening the capital city. The court echoed with agreement, their sycophantic laughter drowning out the whispers of unease. Tiberius, emboldened by their adulation, declared the seer banished, his warnings dismissed as “the ramblings of a madman.”
Days turned into weeks, the laughter in the court replaced by a growing unease. Tremors rattled the palace walls, and the sky choked with ash. The once scoffed-at prophecy loomed large, a bitter pill to swallow. The volcano stirred, its fiery breath a stark reminder of the Emperor’s folly.
Panic gripped the city. The once arrogant nobles, their faces pale with fear, pleaded for clemency. Tiberius, his pride battered, felt the first pangs of regret. The seer’s warnings, once dismissed, rang in his ears, an unwelcome melody of consequences.
He knew only one course of action remained. Swallowing his pride, he summoned the banished seer, his voice heavy with a newfound humility. “I was wrong,” he confessed, the words bitter on his tongue. “Your wisdom… I implore you, guide us in this hour of need.”
The seer, his eyes filled with a flicker of compassion, revealed a hidden escape route, a path to safety for the panicked citizens. Tiberius, humbled by his mistake, rallied his remaining strength, leading the evacuation personally.
News of the Emperor’s retraction spread like wildfire. The once arrogant ruler, forced to eat crow, earned the grudging respect of his people. He used his vast resources to make amends, rebuilding the ravaged city and ensuring the well-being of its citizens.
Years later, Tiberius, no longer the arrogant emperor, but a leader tempered by humility, stood overlooking the thriving city. The scars of the eruption remained, a reminder of his past mistakes. But so did the spirit of a leader who had learned to own up, to fess up, and to cop to his errors.
His story became a legend, a cautionary tale whispered through generations: a testament to the power of humility and the bitter, yet necessary, feast of consequences. And though he never forgot the taste of that metaphorical humble pie, the Emperor found solace in the knowledge that true leadership thrives not on pride, but on the courage to admit its shortcomings.