The apple: On first appearance, there’s nothing special about it at all.
It’s typically green or red on the outside with a crunchy white interior (if it’s a quality mid-season apple).
This seemingly common or garden apple has been installed with the most amazing qualities, least of all for its medicinal properties although ‘an apple a day, keeps the doctor away’ was embedded in my consciousness from a very early age. And it has remained the basis of my healthy eating plan throughout my life.
Of all the idioms that use fruit in their expression, apples take the limelight (one to lime). There are more apple idioms than any other in the fruit variety.
The other one I heard a lot growing up was ‘the apple does not fall far from the tree’, a proverb denoting a strong family resemblance.
‘The apple of my eye’ expresses a fondness for an individual, while ‘as sure as God made little apples is a statement of certainty.
‘As American as apple pie’, describes something that has qualities deemed to be typical to the United States and, not to ‘upset the apple cart’ is to avoid conflict.
The quintessential apple has such versatility and generic adaptability that it can play its part as a person, thing, or situation as in the expression: ‘How do like them apples?’ to say, what do you make of this scenario? as a person, ‘a rotten apple spoils the barrel’ – an individual who negatively influences a group.
Such is the admiration and adoration for apples that New York names itself the Big Apple and Steve Jobs chose Apple to inspire a colossal company brand.
And let’s pause for a moment to remember that Adam persuaded Eve to eat that ill-fated apple (Adam’s apple – the lump in a man’s throat) responsible for much of the human condition out of which psychologists make their living.
How do you like them apples?
Please add any apple idioms I have missed and of course any comments are welcome.