eating dirt
Ingesting ground earth
Eating dirt describes consuming actual soil, whether as a childhood behavior, a craving during pregnancy (called pica), or a folk remedy.
Figuratively, to eat dirt is to suffer humiliation or accept a degrading position: After the scandal broke, he had to eat dirt and apologize publicly.
The phrase suggests being brought so low you're face-down in the ground.
- picaPrinting measurement unit
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- mudWet soil mixture
- abasementState of being lowered
- eatingIngesting sustenance
defeat · humiliation · earthy · ingestion · swallowing · consumption · intake · gut health · indigenous practices · trace elements · soil composition · traditional medicine · old wives' tale · grovel · nutrient absorption · detoxification · hardship · historical accounts