humble pie

American  

noun

1. humility forced upon someone, often under embarrassing conditions; humiliation.

2. Obsolete. a pie made of the viscera and other inferior parts of deer or the like.

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idioms

1. eat humble pie, to be forced to apologize humbly; suffer humiliation.

   He had to eat humble pie and publicly admit his error.

humble pie British  

noun

1. (formerly) a pie made from the heart, entrails, etc, of a deer

2. to behave or be forced to behave humbly; be humiliated

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Etymology

Origin of humble pie

1640–50; earlier phrase an umble pie, erroneous for a numble pie; see numbles

Example Sentences

Once again, not enough humble pie to go around here and a slice should be aiming in this direction.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

The term humble pie, for example, comes from pies made with umbles, or scraps of meat and offal that fed peasants who were seated far away from royalty at banquets.

From Seattle Times • May 8, 2023

Two central banks that had said they saw no need for rate hikes until 2023 or 2024 have eaten humble pie in the space of a week.

From Reuters • May 3, 2022

The Razorbacks and Rebels scarfed down some humble pie last week.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2021

Yes, and, still more handsomely, that if I changed my mind, I would eat, in your presence, for my error, the largest possible slice of humble pie.

From The Sacred Fount by James, Henry