{"id":3511,"date":"2022-05-25T17:50:44","date_gmt":"2022-05-25T17:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3511"},"modified":"2022-05-25T17:50:44","modified_gmt":"2022-05-25T17:50:44","slug":"dont-upset-the-apple-cart-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/dont-upset-the-apple-cart-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Upset the Apple Cart \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to tell someone to get back in line and stop being disruptive? If so, you could use the saying, \"don't upset the applecart.\"<\/em> This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

If you \"upset the applecart<\/em>,\" you disrupt the normal order of things. Typically, you're creating difficulty for other people around you by inquiring about something or taking a set of actions against what is best practice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If someone asks you to stop upsetting the applecart, they mean for you to cease and desist with your actions. They want you to stop what you're doing and return to normal or leave their presence so they can carry on with no change.<\/p>\n

To upset the applecart is to change people's plans or expectations in a way that they don't expect and don't appreciate. It's telling people that you don't care about their role or involvement in the situation.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\"Why are you always asking questions? Don't upset the apple cart. We had a good thing going here until you arrived.\"<\/p>\n

\"Don't upset the apple cart. Just keep your head down and do as you're told, and you'll be fine, I promise.\"<\/p>\n

\"Who told you that it was okay to start telling Cindy about where I was last weekend. Don't upset the apple cart. Are you trying to ruin my relationship or something?\"<\/p>\n

\"We told you not to upset the apple cart, but you had to do it anyway. Now we're all going to pay the price of your stupidity.\"<\/p>\n

\"Don't upset the apple cart they said. It will be fine, they said. So, I got fired last week for being disruptive. Maybe I should have listened to the advice.\"<\/p>\n

\"Why do you want to upset the apple cart here, guy? Are we not doing anything wrong? There's no need to play whistleblower on the whole thing and bring it to the ground.\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \"don't upset the apple cart\" originates from its former iteration, \"upset the cart.\" The saying dates back to the Roman Empire, where it had a similar meaning as what we use it for today. The earliest appearance in the English language comes from around the 1700s.<\/p>\n

Its transition into English saw the phrase change to the current format of \"don't upset the applecart.\" While language experts remain somewhat divided on the true origin of the saying, its first appearance in print comes from Jeremy Belknap in his work, \"The History of New Hampshire,\" published in 1788.<\/p>\n

\"Adams had almost overset the applecart by intruding an amendment of his own fabrication on the morning of the day of ratification [of the Constitution].\"<\/p>\n