sour grapes

From Aesop's fable The Fox and the Grapes, in which a fox, unable to reach grapes it is seeking, convinces itself that they must have been unripe (therefore, sour) all along and so not worthwhile trying for in the first place.

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sour grapes pl (plural only)

1. (idiomatic) Things that somebody pretends to despise because he/she cannot obtain or have.
2. (idiomatic) A putting down or expression of disdain about something that one desires but cannot have.

   I think his comments about that new car are just sour grapes because he can't afford it.

   • 2018 May 26, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London)‎:

     His absence was a grievous setback for Liverpool, who had looked the more dangerous team until that point, and it would not be sour grapes for the losers to think that was the moment the game started to swing away from them.