krypa till korset

Swedish

Etymology

From krypa (“crawl”) +‎ till (“to”) +‎ korset (“the cross”), in reference to a crucifix during penance. Compare German zu Kreuze kriechen.

Verb

krypa till korset (present kryper till korset, preterite kröp till korset, supine krupit till korset, imperative kryp till korset)

1. (idiomatic) to (humbly, painfully) admit a mistake, misjudgement, or the like (or give in, more generally, figuratively); to humble oneself, to eat humble pie, to eat crow, etc.

   Byggföretaget fick krypa till korset och tillstå att skeptikernas farhågor besannats

   The construction company had to humble themselves and admit that the skeptics' fears had been realized

   Inom tio år kommer våra konkurrenter få / tvingas krypa till korset. Alla kommer anamma vår process.

   Within ten years, our competitors will have to / be forced to eat humble pie. Everyone will adopt our process.

References

• kors in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• kors in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)