Chrysti the Wordsmith > Radio Scripts

One day a donkey, a fox and a lion agreed to divide and share the quarry of a cooperative hunt. After they killed a fine fat stag, the others asked the lion to divide it into three equal portions so they all could eat.

The lion prepared the stag, and then announced, "The best portion is mine, of course, for I am the lion. And because I am the strongest of us all I will take the second part. And," the lion concluded, "if either of you would like to fight me for the third portion, you can have it."

The donkey and the fox knew they couldn't win a contest with the lion, so they left him with the whole stag while they went hungry.

This tale is attributed to Aesop, the celebrated 6th century BC Greek storyteller. The fable inspired the expression the lion's share, which, in Aesop's version, is the entire portion.

In modern usage, the lion's share is generally not the full helping, but only the greater part of an allotment. Though the tale is ancient, the expression didn't begin appearing in English recordings until the 18th century. On June 22, 1872, the British satirical magazine Punch printed instructions on "the art of finding a rich friend to make a tour with you in autumn, and of leaving him to bear the lion's share of the expenses."

Radio Script > Lion's Share