lion's share

English

Etymology

From the Aesop's fable The Lion's Share, in which a lion claims the full amount of the spoil after hunting with a number of other beasts. In one version of the fable, the lion claims three-quarters of the kill rather than the whole, leaving the three other animals to fight over the remaining quarter, making "about three-quarters" the technical definition according to that version.

Noun

lion's share (plural lion's shares or lions' shares)

  1. (idiomatic) The majority; a large or generous portion.
    They got a large donation, but the lion's share of the money went straight into paying off debt.
    • 2011 February 12, Les Roopanarine, “Birmingham 1 - 0 Stoke”, in BBC‎:
      Yet it could have been so different for Tony Pulis's side, who weathered a good start by the hosts to create the lion's share of what few first-half chances came along.

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