# zu Kreuze kriechen

zu Kreuze kriechen is a German verb meaning “eat humble pie”. Forms: kriecht zu Kreuze, kroch zu Kreuze, hat zu Kreuze gekrochen.

## Forms

- Present (er/sie/es): kriecht zu Kreuze
- Simple past: kroch zu Kreuze
- Perfect: hat zu Kreuze gekrochen

## Meanings

1. _idiomatic_ to eat humble pie (humble oneself and make an apology or plea)
   - Nachdem er so groß getönt hatte, er würde überall mit Kusshand genommen, musste er zu Kreuze kriechen und wieder um seinen alten Posten bitten. — After he had loudly boasted that everywhere else they’d give an arm to have him, he had to eat humble pie and ask for his old position back.

## Conjugation

### Infinitiv & Partizip

- Partizip II: zu Kreuze gekrochen
- Hilfsverb: haben

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Sources: Meanings and forms from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR).
URL: https://wordwide.space/de-en/wort/zu%20Kreuze%20kriechen