Choose the correct meaning of the given idiom/phrase from the options:
"Eat humble pie":
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Correct Answer
To admit a mistake
Explanation
The question asks for the correct meaning of the common English idiom "eat humble pie."
To "eat humble pie" means to face humiliation, admit that you were wrong, and apologize humbly for a mistake or a false claim you previously made. Therefore, Option 4 is the correct choice.
The other options are incorrect because they distort the figurative meaning or mistake it for a literal action:
To be very happy is the opposite mood of someone being humbled.
To eat something bitter incorrectly treats the idiom as a literal statement about consuming unpleasant food.
To celebrate a victory describes a situation of triumph, which is entirely contrary to the act of submitting to an apology.
Key Points
The idiom originally comes from "umble pie." In medieval times, "umbles" were the less desirable, cheaper parts of an animal (like entrails). While the masters ate the choice meats, servants and people of lower status ate the umble pie. Over time, the word morphed into "humble pie," coming to mean putting oneself in a lower, apologetic position. In exams, look for synonyms like eat crow or swallow one's pride.