IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishgo to Canossa
Meaning: To humble oneself and submit to an opponent.
Example: “After months of attacking the union, the CEO had to go to Canossa and reopen talks.”
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 English idioms
- kick against the pricks To resist authority or fate in a way that only hurts oneself.
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- 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.
- drain the cup to the dregs To endure a hardship or humiliation to the very end.
- the icing on the cake An extra good thing added to something already good.
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