humble pie
{{Short description|English-language idiom}}
{{About|the idiom|the rock band|Humble Pie|other uses|Humble Pie (disambiguation)}}
The idiom eat humble pie means to face humiliation and subsequently apologize for a serious mistake. It comes from humble pie, originally umble pie, a dish from Medieval cuisine made from the edible internal organs (offal) of animals.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=The American Heritage Dictionary entry: humble pie |url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=humble%20pie |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=www.ahdictionary.com}} {{cite web|url=http://www.gourmetbritain.com/encyclo_entry.php?item=5582 |title=Encyclopedia - Umble Pie |publisher=Gourmet Britain |access-date=2013-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211225517/http://www.gourmetbritain.com/encyclo_entry.php?item=5582 |archive-date=2007-12-11|url-status=dead}} This culinary tradition gave rise to the original expression "to eat umble pie".
The umble in the original dish name refers to these animal entrails, particularly from deer. During the Middle Ages, these less desirable animal parts, called "umbles", were typically consumed by lower classes. The word derived from numble, after the Middle French {{lang|frm|nombles}}, meaning "deer's innards".https://wordsmith.org/awad/archives/0103 {{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Angie |title=Scottish kebab pie crowned UK 'pie of pies' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddym06rmqno |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=BBC News |date=2025-03-07}}
The pie part refers to the pastry dish common in British cuisine since medieval times (when such pastry vessels were called "coffyns").{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Angie |title=Scottish kebab pie crowned UK 'pie of pies' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddym06rmqno |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=BBC News |date=2025-03-07}}
Fossilized word
Although "umbles" and the modern word "humble" are not etymologically related, both words appeared with and without the initial "h" after the Middle Ages until the 19th century. Since the sound "h" is dropped in many dialects, the phrase was hypercorrected or changed due to folk etymology to "humble pie".https://wordsmith.org/awad/archives/0103 While "umble" has disappeared from modern English, the idiom remains, preserving this fossilized word as many other idioms do.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Wiktionary}}
- [https://www.foodsofengland.info/umbleornumblepie.html Umble pie at The Foods of England]
- [http://www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/merrie_olde_england.html Traditional English Diets] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102044137/http://westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/merrie_olde_england.html |date=2007-11-02 }}
Category:English-language idioms