go to Canossa
To submit to the pope.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The king had to go to Canossa to ask for forgiveness.”
“After his public disagreement with the church, the ruler was forced to go to Canossa to seek reconciliation.”
“Facing total excommunication and the loss of his throne, the defiant monarch ultimately chose to go to Canossa and humble himself before the pontiff.”
From the repentance of Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV to Pope Gregory VII after his excommunication for appointing bishops.
- 01
all dressed up and nowhere to go
Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.
- 02
all systems go
Everything is ready.
- 03
as you go
While one is doing (something); as one progresses.
- 04
boldly go where no man has gone before
To break new ground.
- 05
come and go
To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.
- 06
don't go there
Do not broach that topic.
- 07
easy come, easy go
Easily won and easily lost (usually said when resigned to a loss; something that comes in the same way, goes in the same way)
- 08
enough to go around
There is an adequate amount or supply of something for all of the people present or involved.
Last updated August 10, 2026