Sour grapes

The phrase "sour grapes" refers to a situation where someone speaks dismissively or contemptuously about something that they desire but are unable to obtain. The term derives from one of Aesop's fables, "The Fox and the Grapes," in which a fox tries to reach a cluster of grapes but fails. In disappointment, the fox concludes that the grapes must have been unripe and therefore undesirable, displaying a sour attitude towards the unattainable prize.