“English has such weird expressions,” you say. Eat humble pie! What the hell does that mean?
It’s true. English has expressions that are hard to understand without context, but that’s not the case here. If you hear someone say that they were forced to “eat humble pie” and apologize, it’s not hard to figure out what the idiom is referring to – essentially, it’s “being humble” or “growing oneself low” and admitting that one was wrong.
Several different translations are possible: “to receive a lesson in humility.” “To put on the sandals of humility.” And – although dictionaries don’t even consider this option – “to give in.”
“Dar o Exército a Torcer”, by the way, is an idiomatic expression that is a bit more difficult to understand in context for those who do not speak Portuguese as their first language. Portuguese is not a bed of roses for foreigners either!
Let’s look at some examples of how we can use eat humble pie or simply humble pie . As usual, don’t forget to write down some of the phrases in Anki .
One
week ago, the Nuggets didn’t treat the Washington Wizards with the proper amount of respect and were served a healthy slice of humble pie .
After boasting that his company could outperform the industry’s best, he’s been forced to eat humble pie .
She said yesterday that she hoped he would be eating humble pie .
Contact her and eat humble pie .
Contact her and admit you were wrong .
Anson
was forced to eat humble pie and publicly apologise to her .
Ugh ,
now that my idea has failed, I’ll have to eat humble pie in the board meeting tomorrow.
I think Ellen is a perfectionist because the thought of having to eat humble pie terrifies her .
I think I’m right, but if I’m wrong , I ‘ll eat humble pie .
You think you’re so smart. I
hope you have to eat humble pie .
The Queen ‘s
Press Secretary was forced to eat humble pie yesterday and publicly apologise to the Duchess .
