wear, put on, etc. sackcloth and ashes

idiomPart ofash

wear, put on, etc. sackcloth and ashes — idiom

1. To show publicly that you feel very sorry for something wrong you did.

1.idiom
Definition

To show publicly that you feel very sorry for something wrong you did.

Example

After the scandal, the mayor wore sackcloth and ashes in a press conference.

Mina put on sackcloth and ashes when she realized her mistake had hurt others.