eat humble pie
誤りを認めて屈する
解説 Definition
過ちを認めて恥をしのぶこと。自分の誤りや敗北を受け入れて屈辱に耐える。
To eat humble pie means to admit that you were wrong and accept the embarrassment that comes with it. It is used when someone must say they were mistaken after acting too proudly or confidently. The phrase is informal and often suggests an unpleasant but necessary apology.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
humble を知っていれば、「偉そうにしていたのに humble な状態に下がる」が核。そこに eat が付くと、まずいものでも自分で飲み込むように、屈辱を受け入れる感覚になる。議論で負けて誤りを認める、強気の発言を撤回して謝る場面でよく使う。admit a mistake より痛みがあり、swallow one's pride と近いが、こちらは『面目を失って恥をかく』ニュアンスがより前面に出る。pie は文字どおりのパイではなく、熟語として丸ごと覚える。
Imagine having to eat something unpleasant after being proud or too confident. That picture helps you remember the feeling of shame or embarrassment after being proved wrong. Learn the whole phrase as one unit, especially for situations in public, sports, or arguments.
例文
The CEO had to eat humble pie after the company's product recall became front-page news.
CEOは会社の製品リコールがトップニュースになった後、自らの非を認めて屈辱を味わわなければならなかった。
He ate humble pie when his bold prediction about the stock market turned out to be completely wrong.
株式市場についての大胆な予測が完全に外れ、彼は誤りを認めて面目を失った。
After boasting about her cooking skills, she had to eat humble pie when the dinner was a disaster.
料理の腕前を自慢した後、夕食が大失敗に終わり、彼女は自分の思い上がりを認めて恥をのむことになった。
eat humble pie の類義語・関連語
対義語
eat humble pie の語源・成り立ち Etymology
humble は古フランス語経由でラテン語 humilis「低い」に由来し、pie を伴うこの句は本来 umble pie「鹿の内臓パイ」を食べる下位の者の屈辱感から広まった。humble と humility も同根で、「低くされる」感覚が『屈辱を味わう』に結びつく。
Humble comes through Old French from Latin humilis, meaning "low" or "close to the ground." But the phrase originally involved umble pie, a pie made from a deer's inner parts, which was linked with lower social status. Because humble pie sounded like umble pie, the expression came to mean accepting shame or admitting you were wrong. Related words include humble and humility.
外部辞書で調べる
この単語を英単語クイズで覚えよう