Starving Artist Forum

My latest sketch card, "Crow Relief", inspired me to dig into the origin of the phrase "Eating Crow". The following is from the wikipedia search:


Eating crow (archaically, eating boiled crow) is an English-language idiom meaning humiliation by admitting wrongness or having been proven wrong after taking a strong position. Eating crow is presumably foul-tasting in the same way that being proven wrong might be emotionally hard to swallow. Eating crow is of a family of idioms having to do with eating and being proven incorrect, such as to "eat dirt", to "eat your words", and to "eat your hat" (or shoe).

Its original form, to eat boiled crow, first appeared in the 1850s in America. Its exact origin is unknown but there are a number of explanations.
It may be related to the English idiom to eat humble pie. The English phrase is something of a pun—"umbles" were the intestines, offal and other less valued meats of a deer. Pies made of this were known to be served to those of lesser class who did not eat at the king’s/lord’s/governor’s table. Another dish likely to be served with humble pie is rook pie (rooks being closely related to crows).

After incumbent Harry Truman defeated Thomas Dewey in the 1948 United States presidential election despite many media predictions of a Dewey victory, the Washington Post sent a telegram to the victor:

YOU ARE HEREBY INVITED TO A "CROW BANQUET" TO WHICH THIS NEWSPAPER PROPOSES TO INVITE NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL WRITERS, POLITICAL REPORTERS AND EDITORS, INCLUDING OUR OWN, ALONG WITH POLLSTERS, RADIO COMMENTATORS AND COLUMNISTS . . . MAIN COURSE WILL CONSIST OF BREAST OF TOUGH OLD CROW EN GLACE. (YOU WILL EAT TURKEY.)

The crow is one of the birds listed in Leviticus chapter 11 as being unfit for eating.


I hope you enjoyed hearing the gore and lore! I have always been fascinated by the origins of some of our favorite sayings and words! Check out my listing for this sketch card miniature in my Etsy Store, and end be sure to share the story with your friends.