the lion's share

Meaning: The greater part; most.

Example: “The eldest son inherited the lion's share of the estate.”

Equivalents in other languages

French: La part du lion Literally: The lion's share

Origin: From Aesop's fables, in which a lion hunts with other animals and then claims every portion of the kill for himself. The English phrase originally meant all of something, and softened to mean the largest part by the 18th century.

More English idioms

look like death warmed over To look/feel ill or exhausted.
make a clean breast of it To admit and explain some wrongdoing; to confess something.
make a long story short To summarize; to tell only the main points.
make ends meet To manage financially; to have enough money for one's basic needs.
make heads or tails of something To understand something.
make or break To be the deciding factor in whether something succeeds or fails.

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Equivalents in other languages

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