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A.Word.A.Day--humble pie

humble pie (HUM-buhl pi) noun

Humiliation in the form of apology or retraction. Often used in the phrase "to eat humble pie".

[From the phrase, an umble pie, transformed by folk etymology by resemblance to the word humble. The phrase "an umble pie" itself was made by false splitting from "a numble pie". Numbles or nombles are edible animal entrails. The words came to us from Latin via French.]

"TVNZ's highest-paid broadcaster Paul Holmes ate humble pie today and apologised for his criticism of TVNZ chairman Ross Armstrong."
Holmes Eats Humble Pie, The Evening Post (Wellington, New Zealand), Feb 13, 2001.

"Mr. Ivester's apology stopped short of admitting liability; Coca-Cola also released a toxicology report that suggested something else must have caused the symptoms. That made Coke's apology a more limited serving of humble pie than other corporate leaders have had to dish out. In Japan, executives not only apologize publicly but also personally, to each person harmed in incidents."
Constance L. Hays, Coca-Cola Hopes Things Go Better With 'Sorry', The New York Times, Jun 27, 1999.

This week's theme: words from the word game Derivation.

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