# What does ‘sour grapes’ mean?

To “sour grapes” means to pretending to disdain something you actually wanted. Brewer's cites the Aesop fable of the fox who, unable to reach the grapes, declares them sour.

## What it means

- Brewer's cites the Aesop fable of the fox who, unable to reach the grapes, declares them sour.

## Action steps

1. Common accusation of jealousy dressed up as scorn.
2. Example: His criticism of the award is just sour grapes.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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