2.wear sackcloth and ashesBritish EnglishBrESORRY/APOLOGIZE to behave in a way that shows everyone you are sorry about something wrong you have done 〔向大家〕忏悔,表示悔恨
Examples from the Corpus
wear sackcloth and ashes• I have no wish to see Aitken go through the rest of his life wearing sackcloth and ashes.
Examples from the Corpus
sackcloth• Hearing the man, Dara stripped off his sackclothcloak and threw it down.• In ten seconds or so I would be either triumphant or in sackcloth and ashes.• She had chosen for herself the human equivalent of sackcloth and ashes, and she denounced herself for a masochist.• I have no wish to see Aitken go through the rest of his life wearing sackcloth and ashes.