sour grapes

短语

酸葡萄

发音

AU
US

词形变化

only 复数

释义与例句

n.
  1. 1.

    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see sour, grapes.

    仅复数
  2. 2.

    Things that somebody pretends to despise because they cannot obtain or have them.

    习语 仅复数
  3. 3.

    A putting down or expression of disdain about something that one desires but cannot have.

    习语 仅复数

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

词汇关系

名词

上位词 3

disparagement depreciation derogation

词源

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.

来源：wiktionary