- This everyday expression means that it is easy to be scornful of something that we cannot have.
- The expression comes from one of Aesop's Fables, ‘The Fox and the Grapes’. Aesop lived between c. 620-560 BCE.
Aesop’s Fable ‘The Fox and the Grapes’
- A Fox was walking under the branch of a tree, when he saw a bunch of delicious looking grapes hanging down.
- Unable to reach, he took a running jump at the grapes, but every time he jumped, he missed the bunch.
- Finally, exhausted by his attempts, the Fox walked away, saying with great scorn, that they were probably sour anyway.
- The moral of the story is that it is easy to be scornful of something that is beyond your reach.
Everyday Expressions that come from Aesop