eats one's words
Admits being wrong
To eat one's words is to retract or take back something you said, especially when proven wrong: He swore she'd never succeed, but he had to eat his words when she won.
The phrase suggests the humiliation of being forced to swallow your own confident statements.
- backpedalReverse one's stance
- swallow one's prideAccept wounded ego gracefully
- swallow prideAccept wounded dignity
- eat humble pieAdmit error humbly
- eat crowAcknowledge embarrassing error
walk it back · recant · humility · hat in hand · embarrassment · apologize · public apology · clarify · retract · mea culpa · admit defeat · accountability · revise · amend · regret · crow · foot in mouth · restate
eats one's wordsdoubles down
Increases commitment despite risk
digs in one's heels · digs in · holds firm · stands one's ground · won't budge
eats one's wordsdenies
Declares something untrue
deflects · stonewalls · gaslights · covers up · plays dumb
eats, eating, eaten, eater, eaters, word, words, worded, wording