Subtitles section Play video
Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Word Origins twenty-eight, The word origin
today is 'Sour Grapes. \" Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. If
you describe a person's thinking or attitude as sour
grapes, you mean that they say a particular thing is of no value or not
desirable because they actually want it but they know they cannot get it, or
they cannot have it or they cannot win it. So basically if one's attitude is
sour grapes they will criticize something as bad and pretend they don't
want it. Like I didn't want it anyway. It stinks who wants that anyway. Forget it.
It's a waste of time. But in reality they do want it. Okay. So let's take a look at the
note here. Let's see what the origin of this actually does come from. Of course
the origin of this phrase comes directly from one of Aesop's, Aesop's fables \"The
Fox and the Grapes.' According to the story a very hungry fox saw some
delicious ripe grapes. He tried many, many ways to get them. To
reach and get them, but all his attempts were in vain. They were useless. He
couldn't get it. Finally he gave up and started and started walking away ....so as
he started walking away, he declared ah the grapes are sour and not ripe as
I thought. Ah. .Who wanted them anyway ? So it's just as well I couldn't reach them.
Ah. They are bad. So this is , this is where this comes from. Even though, we still
use this phrase today, it comes from thousands of years ago. All the way from
one of Aesop's fables. Okay. Let's just give one example. The way we
might hear it today or use it today . It's an a/b part. A says James says that
trophy was cheap-looking and ugly. So it is just as well he didn't win it.
And B would say, Ah, don't listen to him. It's just sour grapes or maybe his
attitude is just sour grapes. If he won it. he would be showing it off to
everybody. He'd be really proud of it. So anyway. That's the way we use it. Anyway I
hope you got it. I hope it's clear . Thank you for your time, Bye-bye.