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Words and Their StoriesLearning Expressions with VOA
Processed with VS1Compare vivid expressions for admitting a mistake, retracting a claim, and choosing to set ego aside.
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Source: VOA Learning English · Words and Their Stories
View original article & transcriptTo “eat crow” is to admit publicly that you were wrong, often after speaking confidently. “Eat your words” means acknowledge that a claim you made was mistaken; “eat humble pie” highlights a humbling admission. “Swallow your pride” focuses on setting aside ego so you can apologize or repair a relationship. “Eat your hat” is a jokingly emphatic prediction that you are certain you will be right. The source offers a possible link between “eat crow” and a Kipling story; that origin is not treated as proven.
Cultural note: These expressions can make an apology sound humorous, but a joke should not replace taking responsibility for real harm. “Eat crow” and “humble pie” can imply embarrassment; “swallow your pride” is useful when the main obstacle is ego. The source’s historical explanation for “eat crow” is a proposed account rather than a settled etymology.
Keep exploringA mistake, a boast, and an apology can all lead to “eating” something in English—but each phrase points to a different part of the experience.
Phrase guide · 5 expressions
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Use expressions for acknowledging that you were wrong.
Meaning
Admit you were wrong, often after making a confident public claim.
Tone & use
Informal and often humorous or embarrassing. It may be too light for a serious apology.
Example
“After insisting the route was open, I had to eat crow when we reached the road-closure sign.”
Meaning
Admit that something you said was wrong.
Tone & use
Informal and vivid; it often follows a confident prediction or criticism that proved mistaken.
Example
“I said the seedlings would not survive the cold, but their first leaves appeared and I ate my words.”
Distinguish a humbling admission from a practical effort to repair harm.
Meaning
Accept that you were wrong and endure the embarrassment of admitting it.
Tone & use
Informal and somewhat old-fashioned. It can sound teasing or judgmental when said about someone else.
Example
“The reviewer ate humble pie after the revised data supported the researchers’ conclusion.”
Meaning
Set aside embarrassment or ego so you can ask for help, apologize, or accept a difficult truth.
Tone & use
Often describes a choice to do something uncomfortable. It does not mean accepting mistreatment or abandoning a valid boundary.
Example
“He swallowed his pride and asked a colleague to show him how to use the new system.”
Recognize an exaggerated promise to be proven wrong.
Meaning
Make a humorous, exaggerated claim that you are certain something will happen or that you are right.
Tone & use
Very informal and not meant literally. Avoid it when accuracy or safety matters.
Example
“If that little garden produces a pumpkin this year, I’ll eat my hat—I only planted the seeds last week.”
Knowledge check
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