• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where did the phrase “the apple of one’s eye” come from and What does it mean?

Where did the phrase “the apple of one’s eye” come from and What does it mean?

May 9, 2020 by Karen Hill

The phrase “the apple of one’s eye” literally means the pupil of the eye.

In ancient times it was called an apple because it was thought to be a solid globular body.

But even by the time of King Alfred, that is, in the ninth century, because injury to the pupil would render one blind, the expression had come to mean that which one holds dearest.

Related Facts

  • What Does the Expression "Until the Cows Come Home" Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?
  • Where does the phrase "to come to the end of one's rope" come from and What does it mean?
  • What does the phrase "come hell or high water" mean and Where does it come from?
  • Where does the phrase "touch and go" come from and What does touch and go mean?
  • Where does the phrase "alpha and omega" come from and What does alpha and omega mean?
  • What Does the Phrase "By and Large" Mean and Where Did the Expression Come From?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where did the expression “gone to Jericho” come from and What does it mean?
Next Post: What does the expression “to catch a Tartar” mean and Where does it come from? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy