sour grapes
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sour grapes
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.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
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.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
sour grapes
Disparaging what one cannot obtain, as in The losers' scorn for the award is pure sour grapes. This expression alludes to the Greek writer Aesop's famous fable about a fox that cannot reach some grapes on a high vine and announces that they are sour. In English the fable was first recorded in William Caxton's 1484 translation, "The fox said these raisins be sour."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
sour grapes
COMMON If you describe someone's attitude as sour grapes, you mean that they are jealous of another person's success and show this jealousy by criticizing that person. These accusations have been going on for some time now, but it is just sour grapes. The government says that Mr Fedorov's criticisms are mere sour grapes. Note: In one of Aesop's fables (= traditional stories, usually with a moral), a fox tries several times unsuccessfully to reach a bunch of delicious-looking grapes. In the end he gives up, telling himself that they are probably sour and inedible anyway.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
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.
1998 New Scientist At 66, I can be acquitted of any sour grapes, but I feel sorry for younger MPs…[who] have all been passed over.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
sour ˈgrapes
(saying) used to describe the behaviour of somebody who pretends that something they cannot have is of little value or interest: When she failed the entrance exam, she started saying that she never wanted to go to college anyway, but I think that’s just sour grapes.This idiom comes from one of Aesop’s fables. A fox cannot reach some grapes so he decides that they are not ready to eat.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
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.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer