Proverb – An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Meaning – Apples are healthy because they are rich in vitamins and other essential nutrients. If you eat more fruit and have a healthy diet you will be less likely to need a doctor.
This expression is usually used to encourage younger children to eat more fruit.
The original version of this proverb was Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread. In this expression bread is a slang expression for money.
More Apple Expressions:
Apples show up in quite a few other English expressions too:
- Apples And Pears (slang) – Cockney rhyming slang for stairs.
- Compare Apples And Oranges (idiom) – Compare two things that are not similar.
- The Apple Of My Eye (idiom) – The person that you love the most.
- The Big Apple (idiom) – New York City.
In The News:
An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away — Fact or Fiction?
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What is a proverb?
A proverb is short, useful and well known expression. A proverb will state a general or obvious truth or a useful piece of advice. A proverb might teach you how to have a good life. A proverb may teach you to be healthy or kind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not literally — but apples are genuinely healthy, and the saying encourages eating fruit as part of a balanced diet.
An early version was recorded in Wales in 1866: “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” The modern phrasing became popular by the late 1800s.
Yes — it’s still commonly said, especially to encourage children to eat healthily.
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