English Idiom – Eat your words or Swallow your words.
Meaning – To admit that you’ve said something wrong. This expression is used to ‘take back’ an earlier statement. If somebody has to eat their words they are admitting that their earlier prediction was wrong, often in a humiliating way.
This idiom suggests a sense of humiliation or embarrassment that comes from being proven mistaken and having to acknowledge it. It’s often used figuratively to describe the act of admitting one’s error and accepting the consequences of being proven wrong.
If somebody tells you to put your money where your mouth is (idiom) they are telling you to back up your words with action.
Usage:
- A colleague makes an accusation that turns out to be unfounded.
- You make a prediction about an important sporting event that turns out to be wrong.
- When you make a statement that is later proven to be false.
Example:
- “My teacher told me that I would fail all of my final tests. I’m going to cram and make him eat his words!”
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Discuss:
- Is there an idiom like this in your country?
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.
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