sour grapes
Meaning(s)
1. when someone pretends to dislike something because they cannot have it themselves
Popularity
Medium
Professional
Medium
Social
How to Memorize
it's just sour grapes, if you ask me
Analysis
The idiom 'sour grapes' means to diminish something or to make something seems less important because you cannot have it yourself. This idiom is used to say that someone is being negative or dismissive due to jealousy.
Social Examples (Basic)
- Don't listen to Tom's criticisms. If you ask me, it's just sour grapes because he's jealous of you.
- Graham said he doesn't like my new car, but I think it's just sour grapes if you ask me.
Professional Examples (Basic)
- I don't think that job is very good anyway, so I'm not bothered that I didn't get it. That's not just sour grapes, it's the truth.
- The manager needs to start taking complaints about his behaviour seriously instead of dismissing them as sour grapes because he got the job despite his comparative lack of experience.