Language: Idioms with the word apple

*American as apple pie

to be typically American

A small house with a white picket fence is supposed to be as American as apple pie.



*in apple-pie order

Fig. in very good order; very well organized.

Please put everything in apple-pie order before you leave.

I always put my desk in apple-pie order every evening.



*sure as God made little green apples

absolutely certain.

I'm as sure as God made little green apples that he's the one.



* An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Prov. Apples are so nutritious that if you eat an apple every day, you will not ever need to go to a doctor.

Remember to take an apple in your lunch today. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Grandma always fed us lots of apples when we visited her. She believed that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

* apple of discord:

a cause of disdagreement, argument, hatred, etc.

* apple of someone's eye

Fig. someone's favourite person or thing; a boyfriend or a girlfriend.

Tom is the apple of Mary's eye. She thinks he's the greatest.

John's new car is the apple of his eye.



* apple-polisher

Fig. a flatterer.

Doesn't that wimpy apple-polisher know how stupid he looks?

Everybody at my office seems to be an apple-polisher but me.



* apples and oranges

Fig. two entities that are not similar. (Used especially in reference to comparisons of unlike things.)

You can't talk about Fred and Ted in the same breath! They're like apples and oranges.

Talking about her current book and her previous bestseller is like comparing apples and oranges.

* Big Apple

New York City.

We spent the weekend in the Big Apple.



* How bout them apples? and How do you like them apples?

What do you think of that? (Often used to express admiration, as in the first example; bout is short for about.)

Tom: I got first prize! Mary: Well! How bout them apples?

Joe got a job as a newspaper reporter. How do you like them apples?



* motherhood and apple pie

Fig. an often parodied sentiment expressed about allegedly quintessential elements of American home life.

Fred is so old-fashioned. Everything about old times is good to him. He's all motherhood and apple pie.



* rotten apple

a single bad person or thing.

There always is a rotten apple to spoil it for the rest of us.

Tom sure has turned out to be the rotten apple.



* rotten apple spoils the barrel

Prov. A bad person influences everyone he or she comes into contact with, making them bad too. Helen is the rotten apple that spoils the barrel in our office. Everyone sees her come in late to work and take long coffee breaks, and they think, "Why can't I do the same?"



* She'll be apples. (Australian informal) also She's apples. (Australian informal)

something that you say in order to tell someone that they do not need to worry and that everything will happen as it should

'What if it rains for the wedding?' 'Don't worry, she'll be apples.'

* upset the apple cart

Fig. to mess up or ruin something.

Tom really upset the apple cart by telling Mary the truth about Jane. I always knew he'd tell secrets and upset the apple cart.