IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishsour grapes
Meaning: A situation where a person criticizes something or someone out of jealousy.
Example: “His criticism of the winning design is pure sour grapes.”
Equivalents in other languages
Hindi: अंगूर खट्टे हैं (Angoor khatte hain) Literally: The grapes are sour
Swedish: surt sa räven Literally: Sour said the fox
Origin: From Aesop's fable of the fox that cannot reach a bunch of grapes and walks away saying they were probably sour anyway. The phrase for pretending not to want what one cannot have is recorded from the 17th century.
More English idioms
- sow one's wild oats To do foolish or wild things, usually as a youth.
- speak of the devil An expression used when someone who is being talked about has just appeared.
- square deal A fair arrangement, fair treatment, or a fair price.
- stand one's ground To refuse to retreat or back down.
- stand out in a crowd To be distinguishable from others in a group; distinctive.
- start from scratch To begin again from nothing.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- 驕れる者久しからず (Ogoreru mono hisashikarazu) The proud and powerful do not stay on top for long.
- 出る杭は打たれる (Deru kui wa utareru) People who stand out attract criticism or are made to conform.
- 早起きは三文の徳 (Hayaoki wa sanmon no toku) Getting up early brings benefits.
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