manger ses paroles
Meaning: Having to take back or admit one was wrong about something said.
Language: French
Literally: to eat one's words
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: No source traces this exact wording to a documented first use — it sits in a family of French idioms that treat speech as something you can be made to swallow, most of which are better attested than this particular member. Manger itself comes from Latin manducare, to chew, by way of Old French mangier, and using it for words rather than food is the same small joke every version makes: admitting you were wrong means taking back something you'd already sent out into the world, and taking back spoken words is imagined the same way as taking back food already offered — an awkward reversal of something that should only go one direction.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- mettre l'eau à la bouche — Making someone crave or desire something through temptation.
- tremper son biscuit — Engaging in a brief romantic or intimate encounter.
- faire la soupe à la grimace — Complaining or grumbling about something constantly.
- avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre — Taking more food than one can actually eat; wanting too much.
- manger du bout des lèvres — Eating without appetite or showing disinterest in the meal.
- in den sauren Apfel beißen — To accept an unpleasant necessity or disagreeable situation with resignation and stoicism.
More French idioms
- avoir une grosse tête — Being arrogant, conceited, or thinking highly of oneself.
- faire un bide — Experiencing complete failure or lack of success.
- avoir la chair de poule — Experiencing fear, cold, or emotional reaction causing skin reaction.
- crier sur les toits — Announcing something publicly that should remain secret.
- mettre son doigt sur la plaie — Identifying the exact problem or sensitive issue in a situation.
- avoir un poisson d'avril — Being fooled by a prank or hoax on April 1st.
From our compliments & insults
- Tu as le vent en poupe — Everything is going your way — you're riding a wave of momentum and success.
- Tu es un as — You're brilliant at what you do — the very best.
- Tu as de la répartie — You're brilliantly quick-witted — always ready with the perfect comeback.