an apple a day keeps the doctor away
/əˈn‿æpəl‿ə ˈdeɪ ˈkips ðə ˈdɑktɚ əˈweɪ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.26 in modern English
55
Scrabble Score
29
Letters
3
Syllables
15
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Now, an apple is one of the most wonderful of fruits, and the most wholesome. The old adage went, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," and my young son, three years ago, when he was only three years old, came to me with an amendment to that and said: "Father, two apples a day keeps the dentist away," because there is not a better toothbrush than the apple, and he got the idea that two apples a day would keep the dentist away."
- "Of course I eat an apple every evening—an apple a day keeps the doctor away—but still, you ought to have more prunes, and not all these fancy doodads."
- "The apple has been as formidable in history as it has been in recipe books. […] It has inspired legend (Johnny Appleseed), nicknames (New York, "the big apple") and any number of old saws ("An apple a day keeps the doctor away")."
- "The saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is often countered with the one "an onion a day keeps everybody away". Whether these were even proven true or not I do not know but I do know that both apples and onions were among the staples kept in our home."
- "an apple a day keeps the doctor away—an apple is nutritious and you will stay healthy if you eat one every day. My mother always told us that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so we would eat apples to stay healthy."
- "An old saying in Western countries goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away", so now there is a new saying in China, "A sea cucumber a day keeps the doctor away"."
Etymology
Of British origin; a similar proverb was recorded from Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 1866: “Eat an apple on going to bed, / And you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” However, the idea that apples can cure disease is much older. In the play The Soddered Citizen (first performed c. 1631–1633) by the English author John Clavell (1601–1643), it is suggested that if a person who had heartburn had taken an apple and gone to bed, he would have been cured.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˈn‿æpəl‿ə ˈdeɪ ˈkips ðə ˈdɑktɚ əˈweɪ/
- British English: /əˈn‿æpəl‿ə ˈdeɪ ˈkiːps ðə ˈdɒktəɹ‿əˈweɪ/