Etymology Journal ยท H
How do you like them apples?
Meaning
- A taunting phrase used to gloat after proving someone wrong or achieving a victory. It suggests that the listener has been outsmarted or defeated.
Sassy, combative
Used in a sentence
- I got the promotion you wanted, how do you like them apples?
- He bet against me and I won, so I told him, how do you like them apples?
- After winning the board game, she looked at her brother and asked, how do you like them apples?
The backstory
The phrase was popularized in the early twentieth century. Some claim it refers to apple-based explosives used in WWI, but there is no hard evidence to back that up.
Heard in
Nationwide
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