swallow pride

swallow (one's) pride

To ignore one's ego in order to do something that one finds humiliating or below one's standards. I don't have any other job offers, so I guess I just have to swallow my pride and accept this entry-level position. You need to swallow your pride and apologize.See also: pride, swallow

swallow one's pride

Fig. to forget one's pride and accept something humiliating. I had to swallow my pride and admit that I was wrong. When you're trying to master a new skill, you find yourself swallowing your pride quite often.See also: pride, swallow

swallow one's pride, to

To humble oneself when circumstances demand it. The verb to swallow has been used in the meaning of putting up with unpleasantness since about 1600. The original locution was to swallow one’s spittle, which denoted suppressing anger or some other strong emotion. It appeared in the Bible, “How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?” (Job 7:19).See also: swallow