North American speech is rich with colourful turns of phrase. Here is the
history behind some popular apple sayings.
Adam's apple: This physiological terminology sprung from the
conception that the protuberance on a man's throat was caused by a piece of forbidden
apple from the Garden of Eden's Tree of Knowledge lodged in Adam's throat, rather
than the thyroid cartilage of the larynx.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away: Derived from the old English
saying, "Ate an apfel avore gwain to bed, make the doctor beg his bread," the
original author of this most popular apple saying has been lost to history. Today,
the expression rings truer than ever, as our knowledge of apples' many and myriad
health benefits increases.
An apple for the teacher: We confess, we don't know how this
saying originated. (If you find out anything, let us know.) It probably harkens
back to the "apple polisher."
Apple eater: A term used to describe one who is easily led astray,
its roots are found in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden.
Apple of my eye: This expression dates back to ancient Greece
and Rome, when people conceived of the pupil of the eye to be, like the apple,
a global object. The word itself comes from the Anglo-Saxon "aeppel",
which literally meant both "eye" and "apple." In addition
to providing the literal, vital sense of vision, the pupil was also regarded
as the figurative "window" to the treasured secrets within each of
us. Thus, the "apple of my eye" meant someone very beloved.
Apple polisher: The custom of "apple polishing" hails
from the little red schoolhouses of yore. Young children whose math skills were
less than exemplary sought to win their teacher's favorite instead with a gift
of a bright, shiny apple. Remember this ditty? "An apple for the teacher
will always do the trick when you don't know your lesson in arithmetic."
It is better to give than receive: A fourteenth-century version
of this Acts 20 Biblical passage used apples symbolically: "Betere is appel
y-yeue than y-ete" (better is the apple you give than you get.)
Macintosh: A computer brand name, not to be confused with the
famous apple variety McIntosh.
One bad apple spoils the whole bunch: First coined by Chaucer
as, "the rotten apple injures its neighbors."
Upper crust: In early North America, when times were hard and
cooking supplies were scarce, cooks often had to scrimp and save on ingredients.
Apple pie was a favorite dish, but to save on lard and flour, only a bottom crust
was made. More affluent households could afford both an upper and a lower crust,
so those families became known as "the upper crust."
Courtesy of U.S. Apple Association.