humble pie

noun

A pie made from the offal of deer or hog.

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Meanings

nounhumble pie (countable and uncountable, plural humble pies)

plural humble pies · alternative humble-pie

  1. countabledateduncountableA pie made from the offal of deer or hog.
  2. countableidiomaticuncountableHumility, being humble.

    Talking of piemen, humble-pie before proud-cake for me. This notion of being lone and lofty is a sad mistake.

    1857 April 1, Herman Melville, The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade, New York, N.Y.: Dix, Edwards & Co., […], →OCLC

Origin

The expression derives from umble pie, the original name of the offal meat pie, considered inferior food. In medieval times the pie was often served to lower-class people. Although "umbles" and the modern word "humble" are etymologically unrelated, each word has appeared both with and without the initial "h" after the Middle Ages until the 19th century.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

humble pie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/humble%20pie

MLA

“humble pie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/humble%20pie. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “humble pie,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/humble%20pie.

Source: humble pie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.