: disparagement of something that has proven unattainable his criticisms are just sour grapes.

Where did the expression sour grapes come from?

The idiom sour grapes is taken from an Aesop Fable called The Fox and the Grapes. In the story, a bunch of grapes hangs from a vine, just out of the fox' s reach. The fox tries all manner of maneuvers in order to obtain the grapes, but he fails.

Is sour grapes a metaphor?

“Sour grapes” is one of the most commonly misused idiomatic metaphors. It is not a mere synonym of “envy” or “jealousy.” [Ed: Nor, even more erroneous, of “bitter,” as is the case in Blow's column.]