Origins of sayings 2 - Eating Humble Pie

Anyone made to 'eat humble pie' is forced to come down from a lofty position they had previously adopted, in order to defer to others and frequently suffer humiliation at the hands of those they had formerly looked down on. This sense of hierarchy comes from the traditions of the medieval hunting feast in which a clear distinction was drawn between the food served to the lord and his peers, and the huntsmen in lower station. While the lord and household were served venison at their high table, the huntsmen and lower orders were seated further down the table where they were given the deer's entrails or 'umbles', made into pie. 'Humble Pie' is a pun on this 'umble pie' and those served it are made to eat inferior food in an inferior position.