Lion’s share

The lion’s share is the largest portion, and the expression in this sense dates from the 18th century. For many hundreds of years before this, the lion’s share meant everything or the whole lot. This very much older meaning derives from Aesop’s Fables c. 550 BC One of Aesop’s stories The Lion and Other Beasts describes a hunt after which the lion claims all the spoils refusing to share anything with the other animals. More than likely, the lion’s share did mean the whole lot in English from about The Middle Ages onwards until the current meaning evolved during the late 18th century.