sour

*sour as vinegar 

1. [of something] very sour. (*Also: as ~.) This milk is as sour as vinegar. The juice they gave us is sour as vinegar.

2. [of someone] ill-natured and disagreeable. (Fig. on {2}. *Also: as ~.) The old man greeted us ill-naturedly, his face as sour as vinegar. Jill: Is Mary in a bad mood today? Jane: Yes, sour as vinegar.

See also: vinegar

go sour

Fig. to turn bad or unpleasant. It looks like all my plans are going sour. My whole life is going sour right now.

sour grapes

Fig. something that one cannot have and so disparages as if it were never desirable. of course you want to buy this expensive jacket. Criticizing it is just sour grapes, but you still really want it.

See also: grape

strike a sour note and hit a sour note

Fig. to signify something unpleasant. Jane's sad announcement struck a sour note at the annual banquet. News of the accident hit a sour note in our holiday celebration.

See also: note, strike

sweet and sour

a combination of fruity sweet and sour, but not necessarily salty, flavors. (Typically referring to certain Chinese-American foods.) I prefer sweet-and-sour pork to anything else on the menu. Alice does not care for sweet-and-sour dishes, but she will usually eat whatever we serve her.

See also: and, sweet

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sour grapes

if you say that something someone says is sour grapes, you mean that they said it because they are jealous I don't think it's such a great job - and that's not just sour grapes because I didn't get it.

See also: grape