wear sackcloth and ashes

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wear sackcloth and ashes

To act in a way that shows one's penitence or remorse for one's misdeeds or poor behavior. Darren has been wearing sackcloth and ashes ever since his girlfriend broke up with him for cheating on her. There's no way to turn back time on the way I treated my brother growing up. All I can do now is wear sackcloth and ashes.
See also: and, ash, sackcloth, wear
References in periodicals archive ?
I would hope those bishops would go to Rome wearing sackcloth and ashes.
Unnecessary translation
Perhaps those who seek to belittle the thousands of women who attend Aintree believe they should be chained to the kitchen sink and wearing sackcloth and ashes instead.
Ah, they're jealous of us!
I hope Hearts don't leave Hampden wearing sackcloth and ashes after treating the opposition lightly.
Hotline; TYNECASTLE IN TURMOIL.
As speculation mounted in Belfast that efforts to get Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionists to sign up to a deal could extend into next week, Mr Adams hit out at comments from Democratic Unionist leader the Rev Ian Paisley that the IRA would have to repent for its violence, wearing sackcloth and ashes.
In the watchtowers' shadow
The Hammers are almost certainly not as bad as the league table suggests but they should be wearing sackcloth and ashes after their wretched capitulation in a 5-0 drubbing at Everton last time out.
Football: Blackburn v West Ham
A profit warning from Britain's second biggest clothing retailer saw the sector wearing sackcloth and ashes yesterday.
Fashion sector dons sackcloth and ashes
I have been wearing sackcloth and ashes for the last seven days as my punishment for screwing up as brilliantly as Dougie himself did.
Frances Traynor : DID YOU SEE?
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