eat one's words

present singular third person eats one's words · participle present eating one's words · past ate one's words · participle past eaten one's words

1. figurativelyTo regret or retract what one has said.

   This time, you have to eat your words, because, like it or not, you lost.

   4 more examples

   He didn't think I could do it, but I proved him wrong and made him eat his words.

   "Better retract that," she advised, "hadn't you?" "Why should I?" "Because if you're stupid enough to remain in Bombay, I'll make you eat your words one day."

   1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter II, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, page 16

   However, in 1844, saner counsels prevailed, and Edgeley became the principal station—the directors eating their words once more by retaining the older station, which was renamed Heaton Norris.

   1957 September 28, M. D. Greville and G. O. Holt, “Railway Development in Manchester—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 618

   Of course, if she [J. K. Rowling] has turned into a first-class writer with her forthcoming Potter book, I will happily, no, joyously, eat my words.

   2007 July 17, Nicholas Lezard, “Harry Potter's big con is the prose”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Oct 2014

   Synonyms: eat crow, recant, take back