Sour grapes
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> “<span word="sour">sour</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span>” <span word="in">in</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="passage">passage</span>:</p><p><span word="Talk">Talk</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="clear">clear</span> <span word="case">case</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="sour">sour</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span>! <span word="When">When</span> <span word="Bob">Bob</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="girl">girl</span> <span word="friend">friend</span> <span word="left">left</span> <span word="him">him</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="marry">marry</span> <span word="another">another</span> <span word="man">man</span>, <span word="he">he</span> <span word="went">went</span> <span word="around">around</span> <span word="telling">telling</span> <span word="anybody">anybody</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="listen">listen</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="left">left</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="she">she</span> <span word="wasn">wasn</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="enough">enough</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="him">him</span>.</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="case">case</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="sour">sour</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span> <span word="here">here</span> <span word="refers">refers</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="situation">situation</span> <span word="where">where</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="doesn">doesn</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="defeat">defeat</span> <span word="gracefully">gracefully</span>, <span word="not">not</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="real">real</span> <span word="caseload">caseload</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="fruit">fruit</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="words">words</span>, <span word="Bob">Bob</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="sore">sore</span> <span word="loser">loser</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="find">find</span> <span word="excuses">excuses</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="failure">failure</span> <span word="instead">instead</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="giving">giving</span> <span word="credit">credit</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="winner">winner</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="could">could</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="wished">wished</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="former">former</span> <span word="girl">girl</span> <span word="friend">friend</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="luck">luck</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="moved">moved</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="without">without</span> <span word="muttering">muttering</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="word">word</span> – <span word="instead">instead</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="turning">turning</span> <span word="himself">himself</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="whole">whole</span> <span word="bunch">bunch</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="sour">sour</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span>.</p><p><span word="Which">Which</span> <span word="leads">leads</span> <span word="us">us</span> <span word="back">back</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="idiom">idiom</span> <span word="itself">itself</span>. “<span word="Sour">Sour</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span>” <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="term">term</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="famed">famed</span> <span word="Aesop">Aesop</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="Fable">Fable</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="story">story</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="fox">fox</span> <span word="saw">saw</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="bunch">bunch</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="ripening">ripening</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span> <span word="hanging">hanging</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="vines">vines</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="wanted">wanted</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="them">them</span>. <span word="So">So</span>, <span word="one">one</span>, <span word="two">two</span>, <span word="three">three</span>, <span word="heave">heave</span>-<span word="ho">ho</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="fox">fox</span> <span word="jumped">jumped</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="order">order</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="bring">bring</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="ground">ground</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="high">high</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="fox">fox</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="reach">reach</span> <span word="them">them</span>, <span word="no">no</span> <span word="matter">matter</span> <span word="how">how</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="tried">tried</span>. <span word="So">So</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="end">end</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="fox">fox</span> <span word="gave">gave</span> <span word="up">up</span>, <span word="saying">saying</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="himself">himself</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="left">left</span>: “<span word="The">The</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="sour">sour</span> <span word="anyway">anyway</span>. <span word="They">They</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="ripe">ripe</span> <span word="yet">yet</span>.”</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="moral">moral</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="story">story</span>? <span word="It">It</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="easy">easy</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="badmouth">badmouth</span> <span word="anything">anything</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="can">can</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="ourselves">ourselves</span>.</p><p><span word="Here">Here</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="examples">examples</span> <span word="of">of</span> “<span word="sour">sour</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span>” <span word="in">in</span> <span word="recent">recent</span> <span word="news">news</span>:</p><p>1. <span word="A">A</span> <span word="CONSERVATIVE">CONSERVATIVE</span> <span word="parliamentary">parliamentary</span> <span word="candidate">candidate</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="called">called</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="decision">decision</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="councillor">councillor</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="quit">quit</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="party">party</span> “<span word="sour">sour</span> <span word="grapes">grapes</span>”.</p>
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