sour grapes
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Grape \Grape\, n. [OF. grape, crape, bunch or cluster of grapes,
F. grappe, akin to F. grappin grapnel, hook; fr. OHG. chrapfo
hook, G. krapfen, akin to E. cramp. The sense seems to have
come from the idea of clutching. Cf. {Agraffe}, {Cramp},
{Grapnel}, {Grapple}.]
1. (Bot.) A well-known edible berry growing in pendent
clusters or bunches on the grapevine. The berries are
smooth-skinned, have a juicy pulp, and are cultivated in
great quantities for table use and for making wine and
raisins.
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2. (Bot.) The plant which bears this fruit; the grapevine.
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3. (Man.) A mangy tumor on the leg of a horse.
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4. (Mil.) Grapeshot.
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{Grape borer}. (Zool.) See {Vine borer}.
{Grape curculio} (Zool.), a minute black weevil ({Craponius
in[ae]qualis}) which in the larval state eats the interior
of grapes.
{Grape flower}, or
{Grape hyacinth} (Bot.), a liliaceous plant ({Muscari
racemosum}) with small blue globular flowers in a dense
raceme.
{Grape fungus} (Bot.), a fungus ({Oidium Tuckeri}) on
grapevines; vine mildew.
{Grape hopper} (Zool.), a small yellow and red hemipterous
insect, often very injurious to the leaves of the
grapevine.
{Grape moth} (Zool.), a small moth ({Eudemis botrana}), which
in the larval state eats the interior of grapes, and often
binds them together with silk.
{Grape of a cannon}, the cascabel or knob at the breech.
{Grape sugar}. See {Glucose}.
{Grape worm} (Zool.), the larva of the grape moth.
{Sour grapes}, things which persons affect to despise because
they can not possess them; -- in allusion to [AE]sop's
fable of the fox and the grapes.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Sour \Sour\, a. [Compar. {Sourer}; superl. {Sourest}.] [OE.
sour, sur, AS. s?r; akin to D. zuur, G. sauer, OHG. s?r,
Icel. s?rr, Sw. sur, Dan. suur, Lith. suras salt, Russ.
surovui harsh, rough. Cf. {Sorrel}, the plant.]
1. Having an acid or sharp, biting taste, like vinegar, and
the juices of most unripe fruits; acid; tart.
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All sour things, as vinegar, provoke appetite.
--Bacon.
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2. Changed, as by keeping, so as to be acid, rancid, or
musty, turned.
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3. Disagreeable; unpleasant; hence; cross; crabbed; peevish;
morose; as, a man of a sour temper; a sour reply. "A sour
countenance." --Swift.
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He was a scholar . . .
Lofty and sour to them that loved him not,
But to those men that sought him sweet as summer.
--Shak.
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4. Afflictive; painful. "Sour adversity." --Shak.
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5. Cold and unproductive; as, sour land; a sour marsh.
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{Sour dock} (Bot.), sorrel.
{Sour gourd} (Bot.), the gourdlike fruit {Adansonia
Gregorii}, and {Adansonia digitata}; also, either of the
trees bearing this fruit. See {Adansonia}.
{Sour grapes}. See under {Grape}.
{Sour gum} (Bot.) See {Turelo}.
{Sour plum} (Bot.), the edible acid fruit of an Australian
tree ({Owenia venosa}); also, the tree itself, which
furnished a hard reddish wood used by wheelwrights.
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Syn: Acid; sharp; tart; acetous; acetose; harsh; acrimonious;
crabbed; currish; peevish.
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from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
36 Moby Thesaurus words for "sour grapes":
acid, acidulant, belittling, bread-and-butter pickle, chokecherry,
comedown, contempt, crab apple, decrial, depreciation, derogation,
detraction, dill pickle, disapproval, discrediting, disgrace,
disparagement, faint praise, green apple, indignity, knocking,
lemon, lime, lukewarm support, minimizing, pickle, putting down,
slighting, sour, sour balls, sour cream, sour pickle, sourdough,
verjuice, vinegar, yogurt
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