Posted by Word Camel on November 07, 2002
In Reply to: Re: Sour Crabs posted by James Briggs on November 07, 2002
: : : : : : : After reading "Money", the origin of "Sour Grapes" came to mind.
: : : : : : Try the Meanings and Origins section of this site for that one.
: : : : : I've just checked the Meaning and Origins. I've always puzzled why grapes should be 'sour'. Perhaps the grapes were unripe, but why try to steal them in that case? My reading suggests that the fox actually said about the grapes 'they're sour as CRABS anyway'. This is equally curious. Any suggestions?
: : : : In the fable as I remember it, the grapes looked good from the ground, but the fox couldn't climb high enough to reach them and decided that they were probably sour. I haven't seen the "crabs" version. Grapes CAN look ripe but be sour.
: : : The crabs aren't curious in the least - they're crab-apples.
: : Ohh. I didn't suspect. Over here we call them crabapples.
: : That makes sense of the surname "Crabtree."
: What a splendid solution to the 'Crab' problem! Thanks.
It just seemed appropriate (if it works)