grape [ME] A grape was originally not an individual berry but the whole bunch. It can be traced back to Old French grap ‘hook’, specifically a vine hook used for harvesting grapes. Grapple [ME], first used to refer to a grappling hook, has a similar origin, and a grapefruit [E19th] is so called because it grows in clusters, like grapes. To hear something on the grapevine is to get information by rumour or by unofficial communication. The expression comes from the American Civil War, when news was said to be passed ‘by grapevine telegraph’. Bush telegraph [L19th], originally an Australian term, is based on a similar idea. The phrase sour grapes [ME] describes an attitude of pretending to despise something because you cannot have it yourself. The source is Aesop’s fable of the fox and the grapes. In the story a fox tries to reach a bunch of juicy grapes hanging from a vine high above his head. After several attempts he gives up and stalks off, muttering that they were probably sour anyway.