journey to Canossa

9.9

A public, humble apology showing you accept blame

noun
/ˈdʒɜrni tu kəˈnɔsə/

Formal

: viaje a Canossa

After the scandal, the politician's public apology was seen as a journey to Canossa by many observers.

Examples

Many interpreted the president's televised concession as a symbolic journey to Canossa.
The CEO's humble visit to the union leaders resembled a journey to Canossa in the business world.
His journey to Canossa was a public act of humility.
The politician made a journey to Canossa to regain public trust.
After the scandal, the politician's public apology was seen as a journey to Canossa by many observers.
Many interpreted the president's televised concession as a symbolic journey to Canossa.
The CEO's humble visit to the union leaders resembled a journey to Canossa in the business world.

Synonyms

Reaching Canossa

vsjourney to Canossa

Literature

9.9

To ask for forgiveness in a public and often embarrassing way

emphasizes performing public penance and humble submission over seeking forgiveness

Surface Forms

journey to Canossa singular

journeys to Canossa plural

Morphology

journey + to + Canossa

The literal constituents ('journey' + 'to' + the place name 'Canossa') only signal travel; the intended meaning (‘an act of penance or public submission’) is a historical allusion to a specific medieval event (the penance at Canossa) rather than a compositional sense. Understanding this metaphorical, culture-specific reference requires prior historical or idiomatic knowledge, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would not reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Journey to Canossa comes from a famous story where an emperor walked to the castle at Canossa and stood barefoot in the snow to beg the pope for forgiveness. That's why today journey to Canossa means 'an act of public penance or submission'.