Ever heard the expression "sour grapes it"?

Question

What does it mean to you? Is it very common? Are there multiple meanings. Where does the expression come from?

Answer 1

i'm not sure about the complete phrase but sour graping (the way i know it) came from the tale of a wolf/fox that was trying his best to reach a couple of grapes hanging from some trellis(?). After several frantic attempts that only led to failure, he decided to give up and console himself by sayign the grapes probably taste sour anyway. Thus sour graping came to mean saying bad things about someone or something just because you were not able to get what you wanted.

Answer 2

A person named Aeosop (sp?) wrote or told famous tales.  In one of these, an animal repeatedly tried to get at some grapes, but was unable to do so.  Finally the animal gave up, and bitterly said that the grapes looked sour, and that he really didn't want them anyway.  The reality, of course, is that the animal had wanted them very much, and only said they looked sour when he couldn't get them.  So a person who is crying sour grapes is someone who really wants something, but acts as though they don't because they know they can't have it.  They act as though something is wrong with, whatever it may be, that deep they down really want.