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Sour grapes

noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see sour, grapes. plural, plural-only
  2. 2
    disparagement of something that is unattainable wordnet
  3. 3
    Things that somebody pretends to despise because they cannot obtain or have them. idiomatic, plural, plural-only
  4. 4
    A putting down or expression of disdain about something that one desires but cannot have. idiomatic, plural, plural-only

    "I think his comments about that new car are just sour grapes because he can't afford it."

Etymology

From Aesop's fable The Fox and the Grapes, in which a fox, unable to reach grapes it is seeking, convinces itself that they must have been unripe (therefore, sour) all along and so not worth trying for in the first place.

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