sour

sour

I

sour¹ /saʊə $ saʊr/ adjective1. having a sharp acid taste, like the taste of a lemon or a fruit that is not ready to be eaten
   OPP  sweet ⇨ bitter:
    Rachel sampled the wine. It was sour.
    sour cherries ⇨ sweet-and-sour
2. milk or other food that is sour is not fresh and has a bad taste
    turn/go sour (=become sour)
  REGISTER
    In everyday English, people usually say milk goes bad or, in British English, goes off, rather than goes sour.
3. unfriendly or looking bad-tempered
    sour look/face/smile etc
    Eliza was tall and thin, with a rather sour face.
    a sour-faced old man
4. informal if a relationship or plan turns or goes sour, it becomes less enjoyable, pleasant, or satisfactory:
    As time went by, their marriage turned sour.
    The meeting ended on a sour note, with neither side able to reach agreement.
5. sour grapes used to say that someone is pretending that they dislike something because they want it but cannot have it – used to show disapproval
—sourly adverb
—sourness noun [uncountable]
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ bitter having a strong sharp taste that is not sweet, like black coffee without sugar - used especially about chocolate, medicine etc: The dessert is made with a slightly bitter chocolate. | Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste. | The medicine tasted bitter. | As the lettuce gets older, the leaves become more bitter.
   ▪ sharp having a taste that makes your tongue sting slightly: Rhubarb has quite a sharp taste. | The cheese has a pleasing colour and a pleasantly sharp flavour.
   ▪ sour having a usually unpleasant sharp acid taste, like the taste of a lemon, or a fruit that is not ready to be eaten – used especially about fruit, or about liquids that have gone bad: Some people say that the purpose of the lemon’s sour taste is to stop the fruit being eaten by animals. | Rachel sampled the wine. It was sour.
   ▪ acidic very sour – used especially about liquids or things made with fruits such as oranges, lemons, or grapes: Some fruit juices taste a bit acidic.
   ▪ tangy having a taste that is pleasantly strong or sharp, and that often tastes a little sweet as well: The ribs are cooked in a tangy barbecue sauce.
   ▪ tart having a taste that lacks sweetness – used especially about fruit such as apples, which you need to add sugar to: The pudding had rather a tart flavour. | The trees were covered with tart wild plums.

II

sour² verb [intransitive and transitive]
1. if a relationship or someone’s attitude sours, or if something sours it, it becomes unfriendly or unfavourable:
    An unhappy childhood has soured her view of life.
2. if milk sours, or if something sours it, it begins to have an unpleasant sharp taste
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ spoil to have a bad effect on something so that it is much less attractive, enjoyable etc: New housing developments are spoiling the countryside. | The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday.
   ▪ ruin to spoil something completely and permanently: Using harsh soap to wash your face can ruin your skin. | The argument ruined the evening for me.
   ▪ mar written to spoil something by making it less attractive or enjoyable: His handsome Arab features were marred by a long scar across his face. | Outbreaks of fighting marred the New Year celebrations.
   ▪ detract from something to slightly spoil something that is generally very good, beautiful, or impressive: The huge number of tourists rather detracts from the city’s appeal. | There were a few minor irritations, but this did not detract from our enjoyment of the holiday.
   ▪ undermine to spoil something that you have been trying to achieve: The bombings undermined several months of careful negotiations.
   ▪ sour to spoil a friendly relationship between people or countries: The affair has soured relations between the UK and Russia.
   ▪ poison to spoil a close relationship completely, so that people can no longer trust each other: Their marriage was poisoned by a terrible dark secret.
   ▪ mess something up informal to spoil something important or something that has been carefully planned: If there’s any delay, it will mess up our whole schedule.