The initial h- of this adjective was originally mute, and this pronunciation prevailed down to the 19 th century. (London, 1669), by the English courtier and natural philosopher Kenelm Digby (1603-65):īake Humble-Pyes without chapping them small in a Pye, seasoned with Pepper and Salt, adding a pretty deal of Parsley, a little sweet-marjoram and Savoury, and a very little Thyme.īut the phrase to eat humble pie puns on the adjective humble, meaning submissive. : together with excellent directions for cookery, as also for preserving, conserving, candying, &c. opened whereby is discovered several ways for making of metheglin, sider, cherry-wine, &c. The form umble pie is first recorded in the diary of Samuel Pepys in 1663 the earliest occurrence of the variant humble pie, with initial h-, is from The closet of the eminently learned Sir Kenelme Digbie Kt. Robert Forby was right in assuming that the phrase alludes to an umble pie, that is, a pie made with umbles, umbles denoting the edible inward parts of an animal, usually of a deer. It may possibly be derived from the “umbles” of the deer, which were the perquisite of the huntsman and if so, it should be written umble-pie, the food of inferiors. To make him lower his tone, and be submissive. The English philologist Robert Forby (1759-1825) defined, and made remarks on, the phrase in The Vocabulary of East Anglia (London, 1830): The Committee, bless us! of Two Hundred, insist upon his lending these trophies (of his own buying) to his arch-enemy and supplanter Hunt the poor crest and chop fallen Burdett is to eat humble pie, and play second fiddle. It seems Sir Francis keeps a Car, and Flags and Devices, ready cut and dry, for all revolutionary uses and demands. We cannot believe that the whole farce is enacted to humble Sir Francis still lower, and to exhibit him in the character of sycophant and toad-eater to Champion Hunt, whom he professes to despise, and who is in truth as despicable, if he is as nervous, as himself. The earliest instance that I have found is from a political poem, dated 1 st January 1812, published in The Carolina Federal Republican (New Bern, North Carolina) of 18 th January 1812:Īnother early use is found in an article about the alleged involvement of the reformist politician Francis Burdett (1770-1844) and of the radical orator and agitator Henry Hunt (1773-1835) in a plot to overthrow the British government, published in The Morning Post (London) of 13 th September 1819: The phrase to eat humble pie means to make a humble apology and accept humiliation (synonym: to eat crow). The Grand Seignor’s dominions, larded.Įxplanation of the Enigmatical Representation of a real Entertainment in page 615 of our last Magazine.ġ. An unruly member, garnished with perpetual motion.ġ3. The leg of a corn-cutter, boiled with diamond weights.ġ1. The following is from the October issue:Īn Enigmatical Representation of a real Entertainment.Ħ. A puzzle published in The Hibernian Magazine, or, Compendium of Entertaining Knowledge (Dublin, Ireland) in 1774 punned on the humble of humble pie, which may indicate that the latter term was already used figuratively at that time.
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