"Sour grapes," as the fox said when he could not reach them.
Meaning: Dismissing something as worthless once you've failed to obtain it masks disappointment through false disdain.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Ils sont trop verts, dit le renard (literally: They are too green (unripe), said the fox)
- Spanish: Así dijó la zorra á las uvas, no pudiendolas alcazar, que no estarvan maduras (literally: The grapes are sour, said the fox when he could not reach them)
- Japanese: 酸っぱい葡萄 (Suppai budō) (literally: Sour grapes)
- German: Die Trauben sind zu sauer, sagte der Fuchs (literally: The grapes are too sour, said the fox)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Every sow to her own trough. — Animals fed separately avoid conflict; individuals should focus on their own portion rath…
- Who sows in May gets little that way. — Late planting yields poor harvests; timing matters as much as effort in agriculture and l…
- Tis too late, to spare when the bottom is bare. — Delaying financial restraint until resources are depleted renders frugality pointless and…
- It is better to spare at the brim than the bottom. — Preventing waste from the start costs less effort than trying to recover what's already b…
- Who hath spice enough may season his meat as he pleaseth. — Wealth and resources grant freedom to customize life according to personal preference rat…
- Don't cut your nose off to spite your face. — Self-destructive revenge harms you more than your enemy.
From our tongue twisters
- Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal. — A relentless run on the 'tr' sound.
- Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische, frische Fische fischt Fischers Fritz. — The German 'f' / 'sch' staple.
- Sopra la panca la capra campa, sotto la panca la capra crepa. — A beloved 'c' / 'p' rhythm trap.