The spoken phraseanumble pie (a pie made from the entrails of a deer) was re-interpreted asan umble pie, then written as(a) humble pie, after which the figurative meaning developed.

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eathumble pie (third-person singular simple presenteats humble pie,present participleeating humble pie,simple pastate humble pie,past participleeaten humble pie)

1. (idiomatic,intransitive) Toadmit one'sfaults; to make ahumiliatingapology.
   • 1857–1858,W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, chapter XII, inThe Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume I, London:Bradbury & Evans, […], published1858,→OCLC:

     They were good-natured enough out of their cups, andate their humble-pie with very good appetites at a reconciliation dinner which Colonel W. had with the 44th, and where he was as perfectly stupid and correct as Prince Prettyman need be. Hang him!

   • 1869–1870,Louisa M[ay] Alcott,An Old-Fashioned Girl, Boston, Mass.:Roberts Brothers, published1870,→OCLC:

     Polly had a spice of girlish malice, and rather liked to see domineering Tomeat humble-pie, just enough to do him good, you know.

   • 1879,Henry James,Confidence, London: Chatto & Windus:

     Angela shook her head. “Men are dull creatures.”
     “I have already granted that, and I ameating humble pie in asking for an explanation.”

   • 1909,H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells,Ann Veronica, London:T[homas] Fisher Unwin:

     You square the G.V., and go home before you have to. That’s my advice. If you don’teat humble-pie now you may live to fare worse later.

   • 2022 March 8, Andrew Anthony, “Liberalism and Its Discontents by Francis Fukuyama review – a defence of liberalism… from a former neocon”, inThe Guardian‎^[1],→ISSN:

     But there seems little doubt that Fukuyama has had toeat rather a lot ofhumble pie.

• swallow one's pride
• eat crow
• pass under the yoke

• “humble”, inWebster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.:G. & C. Merriam,1913,→OCLC.
• “Eat humble pie”, inBBC Learning English‎^[2], BBC, 2014 November 4.