Umble Pie
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A pie made of umbles — i.e. the liver, kidneys, etc., of a deer. Such offal was the perquisite of the keeper, and umble pie was a dish for servants and inferiors.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Umble Pie” mean?
A pie made of umbles — i.e. the liver, kidneys, etc., of a deer. Such offal was the perquisite of the keeper, and umble pie was a dish for servants and inferiors.
Is “Umble Pie” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.