What is eat crow?

"Eat crow" is an idiomatic expression in English that means to admit one’s mistake or defeat, often with humility or embarrassment. The phrase suggests that acknowledging an error or being proven wrong is as unpleasant as eating crow, a bird that is generally considered inedible due to its diet and associations with scavenging.

The origins of the expression are not completely clear, but it likely emerged in the United States in the 19th century. One popular, though unverified, story is that it dates back to the War of 1812, when an American soldier caught on British territory was forced to eat crow as a punishment.

The phrase is comparable to other idioms like "eat humble pie," which similarly involves acknowledging one's limitations or mistakes. Although not as commonly used today, "eat crow" still appears in various forms of literature, journalism, and colloquial speech to convey the idea of reluctantly admitting wrongness or failure.