eat crow
To be forced to accept a humiliating defeat

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

eat crow
to publicly admit you were wrong about something.
Charles had to eat crow and tell them they were right all along.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

eat crow
to admit that one is mistaken or defeated, to take back a mistaken statement
I was forced to eat crow and apologize for the things that I had said about my co-worker.

Our boss was forced to eat crow when the figures that he presented at the meeting were wrong.

Our boss was forced to eat crow when he discovered that what he had said was totally wrong.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

eat crow
v. phr. To admit you are mistaken or defeated; take back a mistaken statement.
John had boasted that he would play on the first team; but when the coach did not choose him, he had to eat crow.
Fred said he could beat the new man in boxing, but he lost and had to eat crow.
Compare: BACK DOWN, EAT HUMBLE PIE, EAT ONE'S WORDS.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲