what does it mean to eat crow

"Eating crow" is a colloquial idiom used in some English-speaking countries that means humiliation by admitting having been proven wrong after taking a strong position. The phrase is often used when someone has been overly confident or arrogant about their position but has been clearly proven wrong. The phrase is believed to have originated in the United States in the 19th century when eating a crow required intense boiling to make it palatable. But, even then, it was like eating garbage because they’re carrion-eating birds, so their meat is disgusting. The phrase is part of a family of idioms having to do with eating and being proven incorrect, such as to "eat dirt" and to "eat your hat" (or shoe), all probably originating from "to eat ones words," which first appears in print in 1571 in one of John Calvins tracts, on Psalm 62: "God eateth not his words when he hath once spoken".