IdiomAnimals
Swedish
SwedishAtt göra en pudel
Meaning: To make a public, groveling apology.
Literally: To do a poodle
Example: “Ministern fick göra en pudel i tv efter skandalen.” — The minister had to eat humble pie on TV after the scandal.
English equivalent: To eat humble pie
Origin: From a press conference in 2002 at which the Swedish minister Jan O. Karlsson, criticized for drawing two salaries, apologized abjectly. A Dagens Nyheter article quoted the PR consultant Pål Jebsen praising the apology as en pudel, the picture being a poodle rolling over in submission, and the phrase entered the Swedish Language Council's list of new words in the early 2000s.
Equivalents in other languages
Hindi: नाक रगड़ना (nāk ragaṛnā) Literally: To rub your nose on the ground
French: Faire amende honorable Literally: To make honorable amends
English: eat humble pie
More Swedish idioms
- Att ha tummen mitt i handen To be hopelessly clumsy; all thumbs.
- Nu är det kokta fläsket stekt Now we're really in trouble.
- Att kasta yxan i sjön To give up completely.
- Att ha en räv bakom örat To be cunning and sly.
- Att smita från notan To dodge paying or shirk responsibility.
- Att sätta sig på tvären To be obstinate and refuse to cooperate.
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