phrase🎓 English idiom

the apple of my eye

a cherished, beloved person

What it means

A person who is cherished and loved above all others, often a child or sweetheart. It expresses deep affection for someone you treasure and want to protect.

Examples

  • His youngest daughter has always been the apple of his eye.
  • Ever since she was born, that little girl has been the apple of my eye.
  • The old man's garden was the apple of his eye.
  • She was the apple of her grandfather's eye and could do no wrong.

Where it comes from

An ancient phrase referring literally to the pupil of the eye, once thought to be a solid apple-shaped object; it appears in Old English and several times in the Bible.

Related idioms

#like two peas in a pod#wear your heart on your sleeve#a chip off the old block#the best thing since sliced bread

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