go to Canossa
Meaning: To humble oneself and submit to an opponent.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “After months of attacking the union, the CEO had to go to Canossa and reopen talks.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: In January 1077 the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV traveled to the castle of Canossa in northern Italy and, according to accounts, waited in the snow for three days to obtain Pope Gregory VII's pardon. Bismarck's 1872 declaration "we will not go to Canossa" made the phrase proverbial in German, and English borrowed it.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Aller à Canossa — literally: To go to Canossa
More idioms — Daily Life
- a captain of industry — A powerful business leader who runs a major company.
- the bigger they are, the harder they fall — The more powerful someone is, the worse their downfall.
- a day late and a dollar short — Too late and not enough to be useful.
- a whipping boy — Someone who is blamed or punished for the faults of others.
- the life of the party — A lively, fun person who makes a gathering enjoyable.
- not a soul — Absolutely nobody.
More English idioms
- kick against the pricks — To resist authority or fate in a way that only hurts oneself.
- hell for leather — As fast as possible.
- buy a pig in a poke — To buy something without examining it first.
- a Trojan horse — Something that seems harmless but hides a threat inside.
- the dogs bark, but the caravan moves on — Let critics complain; one carries on regardless.
- drain the cup to the dregs — To endure a hardship or humiliation to the very end.
From our compliments & insults
- 懐が深い (futokoro ga fukai) — You're broad-minded, generous of spirit, and able to embrace the complexity of others wit…
- Você é um amor — You're a sweetheart — warm, caring, and impossible not to like.
- Você tem muita garra — You have fierce, relentless determination — you claw your way through any obstacle.