Where does the saying 'Sour Grapes' come from?
sour grapes. Disparaging what one cannot but would like to have. This term comes from the punch line of one of Aesop’s most famous fables, delivered by the fox when she finds she cannot reach some grapes on a very high vine. It has been used ever since to describe putting down what one can’t attain.
What if the grapes really are "sour"?
‘Sour grapes’ and ‘grapes are sour’ are idiomatic expressions. When something you aspire for or try to obtain that is not achievable or attainable, you give yourself the solace by assuming or saying that ‘the grapes are sour.’ In the present scenario, expressions are changing fast.
What does 'Sour Grapes' mean?
sour grapes. an attitude in which someone disparages or pretends to despise something because they cannot have it themselves. In Aesop's fable The Fox and the Grapes, the fox, unable to reach the tempting bunch of grapes, comforts himself with the thought that they were probably sour anyway.
Are grapes supposed to be sour?
Grapes don’t continue to ripen once picked, so they stay as sour or as sweet as when they’re harvested. Taste an unripe grape, and it will be mouth-puckeringly sour. Leave that same grape on the vine in the sun, and it will become incomparably sweet.
How do you use the idiom sour grapes?
If you describe someone's behavior or opinion as sour grapes, you mean that that person is angry because they have not gotten or achieved something that they wanted: I don't think it's such a great job - and that's not just sour grapes because I didn't get it.
What is the phrase sour grapes from?
The idiom sour grapes is taken from an Aesop Fable called The Fox and the Grapes. In the story, a bunch of grapes hangs from a vine, just out of the fox' s reach. The fox tries all manner of maneuvers in order to obtain the grapes, but he fails.
What does the fable sour grapes mean?
Criticism or disparagement of that which one cannot have. The phrase originated in one of Aesop's fables, in which a fox that cannot reach some grapes deems them sour and therefore undesirable. He always mocks sports cars as being really impractical, but it's just sour grapes, if you ask me.
What is another word for sour grapes?
Sour-grapes synonyms In this page you can discover 4 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for sour-grapes, like: bad-mouthing, derogation, disappointment and disparagement.
What is the sour grapes example?
Sour grapes is the action of making something seem less important after finding out they can't have it. An example of sour grapes is a man saying he didn't want to date a certain woman because she was dumb, after she decided to date someone else.
What does grape mean in slang?
noun - plural testicles. He kicked me in my grapes.
What is the meaning sweet lemon?
Sweet lemons: An idiom that is roughly the inverse of “sour grapes,” though much rarer: insisting that something unpleasant is in fact desirable, especially if it was actively sought for earlier.
What is the synonym for grape?
In this page you can discover 23 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for grape, like: vine, fruit, Dornfelder, trebbiano, malvasia, tempranillo, nebbiolo, grapevine, grape vine, blackcurrant and elderberry.
What is an antonym for grape?
There are no categorical antonyms for grape. The noun grape is defined as: A small, round, smooth-skinned edible fruit, usually purple, red, or green, that grows in bunches on vines of genus Vitis.
Examples of sour grapes in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web That’s certainly true for me, and my saying that is not sour grapes. — al, 26 Oct. 2021 For one, the optics of trying to change the recall process after someone was successfully recalled gave the impression of sour grapes, Kousser said. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2021
History and Etymology for sour grapes
from the fable ascribed to Aesop of the fox who after finding himself unable to reach some grapes he had desired disparaged them as sour
What does "the grapes are sour" mean?
the grapes are sour. Said in conjunction with criticism or disparagement of that which one cannot have. The phrase originated in one of Aesop's fables, in which a fox that cannot reach some grapes deems them sour and therefore undesirable.
What is the difference between grass and fence?
the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. the grass is greener on the other side.
Is grape sour or green?
the grapes are sour anyway. the grass is always greener. the grass is always greener (on the other side) The grass is always greener on the other side. the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. the grass is greener on the other side. the grass roots.
Is the grass greener on the other side of a fence?
the grass is always green er (on the other side) The grass is always greener on the other side. the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
What does it mean when someone says "sour grapes"?
If you refer to someone's attitude as sour grapes, you mean that they say that something is worthless or undesirable because they want it themselves but cannot have it. He should take recent criticisms seriously, not treat them as sour grapes. COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary.
What does "sour grapes" mean?
If you describe someone's attitude as sour grapes, you mean that they say something is worthless or undesirable because they want it themselves but cannot have it. These accusations have been going on for some time now, but it is just sour grapes. See full dictionary entry for grape.
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Who was Damon's hostage?
two friends noted for their mutual loyalty . Damon offered himself as a hostage for Pythias , who was to be executed for treason by Dionysius of Syracuse . When Pythias returned to save his friend's life , he was pardoned. SEE FULL DEFINITION.
