"Lion's Share" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
Channel: Superduper English Idioms
Date: 2021-01-23

0:00 - How to Say, “Lion’s share.”
0:17 - Examples of “Lion’s share.”
1:02 - Meaning of “Lion’s share.”
1:15 - Origin of “Lion’s share.”
2:42 - More Examples of “Lion’s share.”
3:35 - Conclusion

“Lion’s share.”

When you hear that someone received the “lion’s share” of something, it means they received the most or nearly all of it!

“You should give your sister more! You kept the lion’s share of that banana,” you might tell your son after he split a snack unevenly.

Maybe it’s your first day at a new job, “The lion’s share of your work will be done alone, but there are times when you’ll have to work in a team,” your new manager says.

“The lion’s share of my work is done in the morning, before lunch,” a farmer might be telling visitors from the city.

As you can see, a “lion’s share” describes a majority, a big part, the bulk of something.

The idiom, “lion’s share”, is often attributed to a fable from Aesop, though this sort of fable is common in many cultures historically.

The fable tells the story of several animals that go hunting with a lion, but end up with nothing due to the corrupt and greedy nature of the lion - in other words, the lion takes an unfair share.

The moral of the story is that humans are greedy and untrustworthy, so you should never partner with those mightier, more powerful than yourself.

There are many fables and proverbs that warn us about how wicked, foul, vicious human nature can be…

… and though these cautionary words should not go unheeded, you can certainly put your faith, trust, confidence into most people that come from a culture that values honesty and fairness.

“We didn’t sign a contract, so in the end he took the lion’s share of the profits, even though we had agreed to split it 50/50,” a potential client might be telling a lawyer.

Perhaps a charity is asking for your patronage, “The lion’s share of donations go toward helping those in need, with only a small percentage for other purposes.”

“The lion’s share of my free time is spent reading books! You can never read enough,” your date might tell you over coffee.

So, the next time you want to describe a majority of, nearly all of, most of something, remember that it’s the “lion’s share”.

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References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion's_share