eat crow
To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by…To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.
» The movie star ate crow many times because of all the thoughtless things she said.
Meaning
1 senses(US, idiomatic)To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.
zu Kreuze kriechen
проглоти́ть пилю́люproglotítʹ piljúlju, проглоти́ть го́рькую пилю́люproglotítʹ górʹkuju piljúlju
Examples
3 sentencesThe movie star ate crow many times because of all the thoughtless things she said.
After the debate, the politician ate crow.
The politician had to take back his words and eat crow.
deDer Politiker musste seine Worte zurücknehmen und zu Kreuze kriechen.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
First appeared in the US in the 1870s under the form eat boiled crow. Further origin unknoFirst appeared in the US in the 1870s under the form eat boiled crow. Further origin unknown. Crow meat is considered unfit for consumption, but this is true of very many animals. Compare perhaps the association of black birds with misfortune.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
eats crow, eating crow, ate crow, eaten crow| Base form | eat crow · to eat crow |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | eats crow |
| Present participle | eating crow |
| Past simple | ate crow |
| Past participle | eaten crow |
irregular · Lesson
Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle