ProverbWisdom
Russian origin
Russian originВидит око, да зуб неймёт (Vidit oko, da zub neymyot)
Meaning: You can see what you want but can't get it.
Literally: The eye sees it, but the tooth can't reach it
Example: “Машина мечты стоит слишком дорого. Видит око, да зуб неймёт.” — The dream car costs too much: so near and yet so far.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and Dutch
English: "Sour grapes," as the fox said when he could not reach them.
French: Ils sont trop verts, dit le renard (literally: They are too green (unripe), said the fox)
Spanish: Están verdes, dijo la zorra (literally: They're unripe, said the fox)
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)
Dutch: De druiven zijn zuur, zei de vos (literally: The grapes are sour, said the fox)
Origin: Krylov uses it in his fable The Fox and the Grapes (1808): the fox sees the grapes, but its teeth can't reach them, and it decides they're sour.
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- огород городить (ogorod gorodit') To start a laborious and pointless undertaking; to make a big fuss over nothing.
- на честном слове и на одном крыле (na chestnom slove i na odnom kryle) Succeeding or surviving by the barest margin, through luck or desperation rather than sol…
- развесистая клюква (razvestistaya klyukva) Ignorant stereotypes and tall tales about Russia, especially those peddled by foreigners.
Keep exploring