Sour grapes — Sour Sour, a. [Compar. {Sourer}; superl. {Sourest}.] [OE. sour, sur, AS. s?r; akin to D. zuur, G. sauer, OHG. s?r, Icel. s?rr, Sw. sur, Dan. suur, Lith. suras salt, Russ. surovui harsh, rough. Cf. {Sorrel}, the plant.] 1. Having an acid or sharp … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sour grapes — noun uncount criticism of something that you make because you are annoyed that you cannot have it: Saying the award is meaningless is just sour grapes … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
sour grapes — When someone says something critical or negative because they are jealous, it is a case of sour grapes … The small dictionary of idiomes
sour grapes — sour′ grapes′ n. pretended disdain for something one does not or cannot have • Etymology: 1750–60; in allusion to Aesop s fable concerning the fox who dismissed as sour those grapes he could not reach … From formal English to slang
sour grapes — ► sour grapes an attitude in which someone pretends to despise something because they cannot have it themselves. [ORIGIN: with allusion to Aesop s fable The Fox and the Grapes.] Main Entry: ↑sour … English terms dictionary
sour grapes — n. [from Aesop s fable in which the fox, after futile efforts to reach some grapes, scorns them as being sour] a scorning or belittling of something only because it cannot be had or done … English World dictionary
sour grapes — noun disparagement of something that is unattainable • Hypernyms: ↑disparagement, ↑depreciation, ↑derogation * * * noun plural Etymology: so called from the fable ascribed to Aesop, legendary 6th century B.C. Greek author of fables, about the fox … Useful english dictionary
sour grapes — When someone says something critical or negative because they are jealous, it is a case of sour grapes. (Dorking School Dictionary) *** To say that someone s attitude is sour grapes means that they are trying to make others believe… … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
sour grapes — Meaning Acting meanly after a disappointment. Origin From The Bible, Old Testament, Ezekiel xviii. 2 The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children s teeth are set on edge . In Aesop s fable The Fox and the Grapes the fox isn t able to… … Meaning and origin of phrases
Sour grapes — Grape Grape, n. [OF. grape, crape, bunch or cluster of grapes, F. grappe, akin to F. grappin grapnel, hook; fr. OHG. chrapfo hook, G. krapfen, akin to E. cramp. The sense seems to have come from the idea of clutching. Cf. {Agraffe}, {Cramp},… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
