The grasshopper, the frog and the mouse had a jumping contest. The grasshopper jumped w inches. The grasshopper jumped x inches farther than the frog and the mouse jumped y inches lesser than the frog. How far did the mouse jump?
First, we need to find out how far the frog jumped. We know that the grasshopper jumped w inches, and we know that the grasshopper jumped x inches farther than the frog. This means that the frog must have jumped w - x inches. 

Now, we need to find out how far the mouse jumped. We know that the mouse jumped y inches lesser than the frog. This means that the mouse must have jumped w - x - y inches. 

Therefore, the answer (symbolic expression) is: 

w - x - y