eat humble pie
屈辱を味わう
解説 Definition
威張っていた人や強気に出た人が、失敗・敗北・誤算によって面目を失い、その屈辱を受け入れることを表す。謝罪が伴う場合もあるが、中心は「恥ずかしい結果を味わう」感覚。スポーツ、ビジネス、予測の外れでよく使う。
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
この用法では、誰かに頭を下げる動作よりも、結果として残る恥ずかしさに注目する。大口をたたいた選手が負ける、経営者の判断が裏目に出る、評論家の予想が完全に外れる、といった場面で「苦い一皿を食べる」ように屈辱を受け入れるイメージ。非を認めて謝る意味と近いが、こちらは周囲から見た失面・敗北感を描くときに自然。
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、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、彼は屈辱を味わった。
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、彼女は屈辱を味わうことになった。
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.
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