Don t Upset the Apple Cart

Don’t Upset the Apple Cart – Meaning, Origin and Usage
 May 25, 2022 Pearson
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.” This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.

Meaning
If you “upset the applecart,” 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.

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.

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.


Example Usage
“Why are you always asking questions? Don’t upset the apple cart. We had a good thing going here until you arrived.”

“Don’t upset the apple cart. Just keep your head down and do as you’re told, and you’ll be fine, I promise.”

“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?”


“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.”

“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.”

“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.”


 

Origin
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.

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.


“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].”



Phrases Similar to Don’t Upset the Apple Cart
Keep your head down.
Don’t ask questions.
It is what it is.


Phrases Opposite to Don’t Upset the Apple Cart
Be disruptive.
Don’t stick to the rules.

What is the Correct Saying?
Don’t upset the apple cart.
Ways People May Say Don’t Upset the Apple Cart Incorrectly
The phrase has nothing to do with carts or vehicles. Using the expression to describe halting the action of capsizing a boat would be incorrect. The “cart” is the current order of things, and “upset” is to illicit an unwanted reaction from the person or entity governing that order.

Acceptable Ways to Phrase Don’t Upset the Apple Cart
You can use the phrase “don’t upset the apple cart” when you’re telling someone to stop causing problems that could derail your progress or success or result in anger or distress. It suits professional and social conversations.

You could use it at home when a friend tells you to stand up to your partner. Or you could use it at work when your boss tells you to stop making useless recommendations to management. The phrase can describe situations with serious repercussions for upsetting the current order or minor infractions as punishment.


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Apple of My Eye – Meaning, Origin and Usage
The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree – Meaning, Origin and Usage
Hell in a Handbasket – Meaning, Origin and Usage
You’re My Muse – Meaning, Origin and Usage
Don’t Count Your Chickens Before they Hatch – Meaning, Origin and Usage
One Stop Shop – Meaning, Origin and Usage

***
The Judgement of Paris is a story from Greek mythology, which was one of the events that led up to the Trojan War and in later versions of the story to the foundation of Rome.

Eris, the goddess of discord, was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. In revenge, Eris brought a golden apple, inscribed, "To the fairest one," which she threw into the wedding. Three goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, agreed to have Paris of Troy choose the fairest one. Paris chose Aphrodite, because she bribed him by giving him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta, wife of Menelaus. Paris carried Helen off to Troy, and the Greeks invaded Troy for Helen's return. This was the cause of the Trojan War.

Figuratively, the phrase "The Judgement of Paris" can mean the ultimate origin of a war or other event.

***
Apple of Discord

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

J. M. W. Turner, The Goddess of Discord Choosing the Apple of Contention in the Garden of the Hesperides

The manzana de la discordia (the turret on the left belongs to the Casa Lle; Morera; the building with the stepped triangular peak is the Casa Amatller; and the curved fa;ade to its right is the Casa Batll;).
The Golden Apple of Discord (Ancient Greek: ;;;;; ;;; ;;;;;;) was a golden apple dropped by Eris, the goddess of strife, at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis in the Greek myth of the Judgement of Paris. It sparked a vanity-fueled dispute among Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite that eventually led to the Trojan War.[1]

In common parlance, the apple of discord is the core, kernel, or crux of an argument, or a small matter that could lead to a bigger dispute.[2]

Derivative uses

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
In the Eixample district of Barcelona, there is a block nicknamed in Spanish La manzana de la discordia (Catalan: Illa de la Disc;rdia). The reason for this usage is that the word manzana means both "apple" and "city block" in Spanish. It was so named ("block of discord") because it features four different interpretations of Modernisme architecture: Antoni Gaud;'s Casa Batll;, Llu;s Dom;nech i Montaner's Casa Lle; Morera, Josep Puig i Cadafalch's Casa Amatller, and Enric Sagnier's Casa Mulleras.

"To the Most Beautiful"
In some later sources, Eris inscribed on the apple "for the fairest"[3] or "to the most beautiful" before tossing it. The most popular version of the inscription is ;;; ;;;;;;;;; (Ancient Greek: ;; ;;;;;;;;, romanized: t;(i) kallist;(i), lit.;'for/to the most beautiful', Greek: ;; ;;;;;;;;, romanized: ti kallisti).[4] ;;;;;;;; is the dative singular of the feminine superlative of ;;;;;, "beautiful". In Latin sources, the word is formosissima.[5]

See also
Golden apple
Killing three warriors with two peaches