In the days of the Roman legions, a soldier received part of his pay in the form of a salarium (a salary), which was actually an allowance for the purchase of salt. Salt wasn't easily obtainable in those times, and the Roman generals knew the mineral's value. Any soldier who didn't earn this small allowance was deemed as worthless.
This expression comes from a 1902 novel called It's Up to You. One of the more prosperous characters "could walk up and down Easy Street." It seemed logical to describe a person in comfortable circumstances as having an address that summarized his lifestyle.
Meaning: To be proven wrong, usually after boasting.
Example: With the fall of the Soviet Union, the communists are eating humble pie.
Origin: Humble pie is a derivation of umble pie and refers to the intestines of an animal especially when used for food. The original umbles were the innards of the deer: the liver, heart, entrails and other second-class bits. It was common practice in medieval times to serve a pie made of these parts of the animal to the servants and others that would be sitting at the lower tables in the lord's hall.
To eat humble pie is to accept your position at the lower table.
The phrase, which means to eat your own words or humiliate yourself, refers to what the British used to call the humbles, or lesser parts of an animal. These include the heart, liver, kidneys, etc. Not exactly the greatest things to eat.
