What Does “lion’s share” mean?
Definition:
If someone gets the lion’s share of something, they get the largest part of it.
The origin of lion’s share
The phrase comes from Aesop’s fables. Aesop was a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece. In these fables, the lion, being the king, gets the largest portion of the spoils. The other animals receive only a very small part.
The way the lion divides the kill in the fable is funny. He divides it into equal parts but then provides different reasons why he should keep each part. Some of the reason he suggests are that:
– He is the king of the jungle
– He is the strongest.
– An accident will befall anyone who dares to take the spoil.
Example(s)
– The gang stole a lot of money from the bank. But the lion’s share of the money went straight into the leader’s pocket.
– They have a successful company that gets the lion’s share of every transaction.
