Remember when Costley's definition on a slide came straight from Wikipedia? Well, I'd like to follow suit (while we're using idioms, why not?)
Eating crow is a U.S. colloquial idiom meaning humiliation by admitting wrongness or having been proved wrong after taking a strong position.
Here's the story.
I subbed at my Dad's office last Saturday. I have subbed there a few times since having Cleo, but on those occasions my first patient was at 2:00pm. This time my first patient was at 8:00am. Now on the previous occasions I had a hole or two in the schedule, which means I had some down time. I have worked for my father for over 5 years. I assisted until I got into hygiene school and I have done Payroll/Office stuff all the way through school and am still doing it. Needless to say I know a lot of the ins and outs of the goings on there, especially what my Dad wants and all his weird little quirks (and there is a laundry list of them). For example, he likes the tissue boxes to be taped to the counter top. I imagine because it annoys him to pull on a tissue only to have the whole box come with it. He likes us to ask, "What questions do you have?" instead of "Do you have any questions?" He doesn't like the phrase "due for" as in "You are due for radiographs today" because it makes it seem impersonal that we are not taking the individual person into account when we take radiographs on a certain schedule. If you haven't gotten the feeling yet he is VERY PARTICULAR about these types of things. Patient relationships are huge to him and he is pretty selective about how we communicate to them.
Well, another thing he is picky about is being on time. On time is late, and early is on time. Friday night I was at his house and he reminded me to be there 15 minutes early. Usually I just say, "Ok" or "I know", but he had reminded me to put tape on a tissue box earlier in the week which I felt was uncalled for, because OBVIOUSLY I KNOW! Right? So I kind of started in on him about I know I need to be there early and I know the tissue box needs tape on the bottom and I know to restock things when I take the last one and I know to write the date and price on every box I come into contact with, I know to keep the PIE form from last year so we know how to fill out this years, ETC! (I could go on forever.)
Guess what happened? I woke up late the next morning. WOKE UP at 8:00am. First patient at 8:00am. I had set my alarm for an hour earlier, planned to pump a bottle for Cleo and get there early early. Nope. Sorry Cleo. Instead, I pulled in to the parking lot at 8:20am. Came flying out of the car with my loupes already on, hadn't even eaten or brushed my teeth! Eew, RDH sin. Megan, bless her soul, had already taken radiographs on my patient (a good friend) and my Dad was doing the exam.
Needless to say, I ATE CROW that morning. And I hope to never have to again.
Idioms remind me of this. Thanks Richie Rich.
Richie Rich: My crib?
Herbert Cadbury: I believe that's street slang for home, sir, an idiom.
Omar: Who you callin' an idiom?
Couldn't find a YouTube clip of it.
