E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Humble Pie.
To eat humble pie. To come down from a position you have assumed, to be obliged to take “a lower, room.” “Umbles” are the heart, liver, and entrails of the deer, the huntsman’s perquisites. When the lord and his household dined the venison pasty was served on the daïs, but the umbles were made into a pie for the huntsman and his fellows.
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N.B. Pie and patty are both diminutives of pasty. Pasty and patty are limited to venison, veal, and some few other meats; pie is of far wider signification, including fruit, mince, etc.
