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Glite Dictionary
to reach Canossa

to reach Canossa

9.9
To accept that you were wrong and ask for forgiveness after being proud
  • idiom
translation icon : hacer las paces
  • It took humility for the CEO to reach Canossa and ask for the board's forgiveness.

Examples

  • After years of disagreement, the two finally reached Canossa and resolved their dispute.

  • After years of conflict, the two rivals finally reached Canossa and shook hands in reconciliation.

  • Many wondered whether the stubborn leader would ever reach Canossa and make peace with his rivals.

  • He finally reached Canossa after months of negotiation.

  • Will she reach Canossa with her former rivals?

  • The negotiation ended successfully when they reached Canossa and agreed to work together again.

  • It took a lot of self-reflection for him to reach Canossa and admit he was wrong to his colleagues.

Synonyms

to forgive and forget
vsto reach Canossa
  • Informal
12 3.5

To stop feeling angry about a past event and be friendly again

requires active reconciliation often involving personal humility rather than just letting go
to swallow pride
vsto reach Canossa
  • Informal
9 5.7

To accept being wrong to make peace or get help

is about achieving reconciliation after hardship often following personal humiliation

Antonyms

conflict
397 2.3

A serious disagreement between people or groups over ideas

estrangement
8 7.8

A feeling of no longer being close to someone

Surface Forms

reach Canossa infinitive
reached Canossa past
reached Canossa past participle
reaching Canossa present participle
reaches Canossa third person singular

Morphology

reach + Canossa

The expression refers to a specific historical episode (the Walk to Canossa) and thus relies on cultural/historical knowledge of Canossa rather than transparent composition. A B1 learner who knows 'reach' and treats 'Canossa' as an unknown place-name would not be able to infer the sense 'reconcile after humiliation/swallow one's pride', so the idiomatic meaning is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Reach Canossa comes from a famous story: Emperor Henry IV walked to the castle of Canossa and stood outside in the cold, begging Pope Gregory VII to forgive him. So, reach Canossa means 'to make peace after a hard time' or 'to admit you were wrong and ask for forgiveness'.