Login   |   Register   |   

General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

Started by: the_gwim_weaper (inactive)

"humble pie. Here we have a play upon words which dates back to the time of William the Conqueror. First, the pie referred to in 'eating humble pie' was really umble pie, made from the umbles - heart, liver and gizzard - of a deer. It was made to be eaten by servants and huntsmen, while the lord of the manor and his guests dined on venison. Thus a person who had to eat umble pie was in a position of inferiority -- one who had to humble himself before his betters. The pun resulting from umble and humble is even more precise when you recall that in several British dialects - notably Cockney - the h in humble would be silent. Actually, the two words come from quite different roots, humble from the Latin 'humilis'(low or slight), and 'umbie' from the Latin 'lumulus' (loin)."

Replied: 17th Dec 2010 at 11:49

Report Abuse

Only use this form to report abuse about the post displayed above. If you have a query or wish to make a comment, do not use this form.

Your IP No. (3.135.62.42) will be logged.

* Enter the 5 digit code to the right of the input box. Don't worry if you make a mistake, you will get another chance. Your comments won't be lost.