(chiefly, US, idiomatic) To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.
(chiefly, US, idiomatic) To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.
He must apologise, he saw that clearly enough, must eat crow, as he told himself.
Eat crow means: To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
Eat crow means: To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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(Australia, informal) A confident prediction of an outcome that later proves incorrect.
(slang) To fall forward, hitting one's face on the ground.
An old American term for a horse so worn out, bony, and useless that it looks fit only to be left out for the crows to pick at. By extension, it can describe anything — or anyone — who is run-down, exhausted, and past their prime. Cowboys and ranchers used this as a blunt assessment of a horse with no resale value or working life left. Today it occasionally surfaces as a colorful, slightly affectionate insult for a person who looks rough around the edges.
(idiomatic, chiefly, US, slang) To best or defeat someone thoroughly; to make short work of.
eat crow means: To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
“People like you constantly eat crow and scuttle back under your rock. Never changing, never adapting, just the same old tired falsehoods.”
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