{"id":10464,"date":"2022-11-16T22:55:37","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10464"},"modified":"2022-11-16T22:55:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:55:37","slug":"apples-pears-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/apples-pears-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Apples & Pears \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you heard a friend from London, England, talk about \u201cgoing up the apples and pears<\/strong>\u201d? It\u2019s only normal to be confused about this local slang expression, which simply means \u201cstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep reading to learn why Londoners call stairs apples and pears and how to use this slang term in a sentence.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h3>\n

The Cockney rhyming slang expression \u201capples and pears<\/strong>\u201d means stairs<\/u>.<\/p>\n

\u201cApples and pears\u201d is one of many examples of this London-specific slang, in which Londoners combine two words to form a phrase that rhymes with the original word. Apples and pears became \u201cstairs<\/strong>\u201d simply because \u201capples\u201d rhymes with stairs.<\/p>\n

People considering adding this slang expression to their vocabulary need to know that \u201capples and pears<\/strong>\u201d is an informal phrase used among working-class Londoners.<\/p>\n

Middle- and upper-class Londoners may be familiar with the term, as might English people from other parts of the country, but Americans and other English speakers won\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h3>\n

Are you curious how the slang term \u201capples and pears\u201d is used in practice? Take a look at these example sentences:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u201cI can\u2019t go out tonight, sorry. My aunt took a tumble down the old apples and pears<\/strong>, and I have to stay home to look after her.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cPoor Jim doesn\u2019t have a lift in his building and has to drag himself up the apples and pears<\/strong> every time. Can\u2019t be easy; he\u2019s getting on a bit now.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cIt\u2019s way past your bedtime, dears! Now get off the telly and get yourselves up the apples<\/strong> to brush your teeth!\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The last example drops the final part of the phrase \u201capples and pears\u201d so only \u201capples\u201d remain. This is common in Cockney rhyming slang.<\/p>\n

    Origin<\/h3>\n

    Before we delve into the origins of the phrase \u201capples and pears<\/strong>,\u201d it is important to understand what \u201cCockney<\/strong>\u201d means.<\/p>\n

    Cockney can refer to East London natives<\/strong>, typically with a working-class background. It also describes the dialect and accent East London natives use. The term Cockney dates back to the 14th<\/sup> century<\/strong>, along with the dialect.<\/p>\n

    Cockney rhyming slang<\/strong> is a huge part of the dialect. This linguistic phenomenon combines two words to create a phrase that rhymes with the word it describes in standard English. Cockney rhyming slang emerged during the 1840s<\/strong> and continues to thrive today.<\/p>\n

    Street sellers and criminals may have used some rhyming slang to talk about illegal activities freely, but other terms, like \u201capples and pears,\u201d are simply part of the culture.<\/p>\n

    Phrases Similar to Apples & Pears<\/h3>\n

    The British middle-class version of \u201capples and pears,\u201d meaning \u201cstairs,\u201d is \u201cup the wooden hill to Bedfordshire<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    There are no other slang terms for \u201cstairs,\u201d but we can<\/em> offer plenty of fascinating examples of other Cockney rhyming slang terms:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Dog and bone<\/strong> \u2014 phone.<\/li>\n
    • Slabs of meat<\/strong> \u2014 feet.<\/li>\n
    • Porky pies<\/strong> \u2014 lies.<\/li>\n
    • Bangers and mash<\/strong> \u2014 cash. (\u201cBangers\u201d means \u201csausages.\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Keep in mind that Londoners commonly drop the second word in rhyming slang phrases. As such, feet become \u201cslabs,\u201d and lies become \u201cporkies.\u201d Only people part of the culture could decipher these phrases in the past, but Cockney slang is more accessible than ever, thanks to the internet.<\/p>\n

      Phrases Opposite to Apples & Pears<\/h3>\n

      There are no antonyms for this phrase.<\/p>\n

      However, you should know that \u201capples and pears\u201d has nothing to do with \u201capples and oranges<\/strong>.\u201d That phrase means that two things are very different, and you shouldn\u2019t compare them.<\/p>\n

      What Is the Correct Saying?<\/h3>\n

      The correct saying is \u201capples and pears<\/strong>.\u201d This London rhyming slang means \u201cstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Ways People May Say Apples & Pears Incorrectly<\/h3>\n

      English learners and people from the United States may be tempted to use \u201capples and pears\u201d to impress their British friends. Please don\u2019t. You will just look silly.<\/p>\n

      Acceptable Ways to Phrase Apples & Pears<\/h3>\n

      You could incorporate the slang term \u201capples and pears\u201d into a story set in London or mention it while discussing linguistic curiosities.<\/p>\n

      Beyond that, there\u2019s no acceptable way to phrase this Cockney term unless you\u2019re from London yourself. In that case, you would already be familiar with this slang.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Have you heard a friend from London, England, talk about \u201cgoing up the apples and pears\u201d? It\u2019s only normal to be confused about this local slang expression, which simply means \u201cstairs.\u201d Keep reading to learn why Londoners call stairs apples and pears and how to use this slang term in a sentence. Meaning The Cockney […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10464"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10464"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10466,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10464\/revisions\/10466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}