Have you ever heard someone say, “That’s the apple of my eye,” or “Life is just a bowl of cherries”? These funny phrases are called idioms. Idioms are special sayings that don’t really mean what the words say. They make language colorful and interesting. Using fruit in idioms helps us explain feelings and ideas in a fun way.
In this article, we’ll learn idioms about fruit. We’ll find out what they really mean and see how to use them in everyday talking. You’ll also get to answer some multiple-choice questions to test what you’ve learned. Understanding these idioms can help you speak and write more clearly. Let’s get started and explore some fruit idioms together.
Idioms about Fruit
1. Apple of my eye
Meaning: Someone who is very special to you
Sample Sentences: My little sister is the apple of my eye. / Grandpa says I’m the apple of his eye.
Other Way to Say: My favorite person / Someone I love a lot
2. Go bananas
Meaning: To act silly or excited
Sample Sentences: The kids went bananas at the birthday party. / I go bananas when I see puppies.
Other Way to Say: Act crazy / Get super excited
3. A bad apple
Meaning: A person who causes trouble
Sample Sentences: One bad apple can ruin the group. / The bad apple in class keeps talking.
Other Way to Say: Troublemaker / Someone who spoils things
4. Comparing apples and oranges
Meaning: Comparing two very different things
Sample Sentences: You can’t compare a video game to homework it’s apples and oranges. / Trying to pick between pizza and ice cream is like apples and oranges.
Other Way to Say: Too different to compare / Not the same
5. Cherry on top
Meaning: Something extra that makes it even better
Sample Sentences: Winning a prize was the cherry on top of my day. /Ice cream is good, but the cherry on top is the best.
Other Way to Say: Extra nice thing / A bonus
6. Sour grapes
Meaning: Pretending not to care because you didn’t get something
Sample Sentences: He said he didn’t want the toy, but it sounded like sour grapes. / That’s just sour grapes because you lost.
Other Way to Say: Acting like you don’t care / Being bitter
7. Big banana
Meaning: An important person
Sample Sentences: The mayor is the big banana in our town. / He acts like a big banana at school.
Other Way to Say: Big deal / Leader
8. Top banana
Meaning: The main boss or leader
Sample Sentences: She’s the top banana of the dance group. / He wants to be the top banana in the project.
Other Way to Say: Head person / One in charge
9. A plum job
Meaning: A very good job or position
Sample Sentences: She got a plum job at the toy store. / Working at the game shop is a plum job!
Other Way to Say: Great job / Lucky position
10. In a jam
Meaning: In a tricky or bad situation
Sample Sentences: I was in a jam when I forgot my project. / He got in a jam after spilling paint.
Other Way to Say: In trouble / In a mess
11. As nutty as a fruitcake
Meaning: Very silly or strange
Sample Sentences: Uncle Joe is as nutty as a fruitcake when he dances. / That idea is nutty as a fruitcake!
Other Way to Say: Really silly / Very weird
12. Fruit of your labor
Meaning: The result of your hard work
Sample Sentences: The trophy was the fruit of my labor. / We saw the fruit of our labor when the garden bloomed.
Other Way to Say: The reward / What you earned
13. Rotten to the core
Meaning: Very bad or mean
Sample Sentences: The villain was rotten to the core. / Lying like that was rotten to the core.
Other Way to Say: Very mean / Bad inside and out
14. A peach
Meaning: A very nice person or thing
Sample Sentences: My teacher is a peach for helping me. / That dress is a peach!
Other Way to Say: Sweet person / Lovely thing
15. Life is just a bowl of cherries
Meaning: Life is good and happy
Sample Sentences: When school’s out, life is just a bowl of cherries. / For a day at the beach, life felt like a bowl of cherries.
Other Way to Say: Everything is great / Life is fun
16. Go pear-shaped
Meaning: To go wrong or not as planned
Sample Sentences: The party went pear-shaped when it rained. / My project went pear-shaped after the glue spilled.
Other Way to Say: Things went wrong / It got messed up
17. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
Meaning: A child is like their parent
Sample Sentences: He plays baseball like his dad the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. / Just like her mom, she’s super neat!
Other Way to Say: Just like a parent / Acts the same
18. Low-hanging fruit
Meaning: Something easy to get or do
Sample Sentences: I picked the low-hanging fruit by answering the easy question. / Cleaning my desk was low-hanging fruit for my chores.
Other Way to Say: Easy task / Simple choice
19. Lemon law
Meaning: A rule for returning bad products
Sample Sentences: The toy didn’t work, so we used the lemon law. / Dad said the car was a lemon, and the lemon law helped us.
Other Way to Say: Return policy / Bad product rule
20. Buy a lemon
Meaning: Buy something that doesn’t work well
Sample Sentences: That phone broke fast. We bought a lemon. / Don’t buy a lemon from that store!
Other Way to Say: Bought a dud / Got something bad
21. Cherry-pick
Meaning: Choose only the best or easiest parts
Sample Sentences: He cherry-picked all the fun jobs. / Don’t cherry-pick the easy questions.
Other Way to Say: Pick and choose / Only take the best
22. Jam-packed
Meaning: Very full
Sample Sentences: My backpack is jam-packed with books. / The gym was jam-packed on Friday.
Other Way to Say: Really full / Stuffed
23. Peachy keen
Meaning: Very good or cool
Sample Sentences: Everything’s peachy keen today! / Her birthday party was peachy keen.
Other Way to Say: Great / Super fun
24. Ripe for the picking
Meaning: Ready for something
Sample Sentences: The apples are ripe for the picking. / Our team is ripe for the picking this season.
Other Way to Say: All set / Ready to go
25. Pick of the bunch
Meaning: The best one
Sample Sentences: That puppy is the pick of the bunch! / I chose the pick of the bunch for my lunch.
Other Way to Say: The top choice / The favorite
26. Full of beans
Meaning: Full of energy
Sample Sentences: She’s full of beans every morning. / The kids were full of beans after lunch.
Other Way to Say: Super active / Energetic
27. Bear fruit
Meaning: Give good results
Sample Sentences: Our hard work is starting to bear fruit. / Studying early will bear fruit during the test.
Other Way to Say: Pay off / Show results
28. Like two peas in a pod
Meaning: Very alike or close
Sample Sentences: My best friend and I are like two peas in a pod. / They act the same like peas in a pod.
Other Way to Say: Very similar / Very close
29. Juicy gossip
Meaning: Interesting news about others
Sample Sentences: That was some juicy gossip at recess. / She always has juicy gossip to share.
Other Way to Say: Exciting news / Big story
30. Sweet as honey
Meaning: Very kind
Sample Sentences: Grandma is sweet as honey. / The puppy was sweet as honey.
Other Way to Say: Really nice / So kind
31. A tough nut to crack
Meaning: Hard to figure out or understand
Sample Sentences: That riddle is a tough nut to crack. / My math homework is a tough nut to crack.
Other Way to Say: Hard to solve / Tricky
32. Cool as a cucumber
Meaning: Very calm
Sample Sentences: She was cool as a cucumber during the test. / Even with all the noise, he stayed cool as a cucumber.
Other Way to Say: Very calm / Not nervous
33. Forbidden fruit
Meaning: Something you want but shouldn’t have
Sample Sentences: Sneaking cookies before dinner felt like forbidden fruit. / That movie was forbidden fruit for kids.
Other Way to Say: Off-limits / Not allowed
34. To be in a pickle
Meaning: To be in trouble
Sample Sentences: I was in a pickle when I lost my homework. / He got in a pickle after breaking the vase.
Other Way to Say: In trouble / In a mess
35. Packed like sardines
Meaning: Squeezed into a small space
Sample Sentences: We were packed like sardines in the car. / The bus was packed like sardines after school.
Other Way to Say: Very crowded / No space
36. A lemon
Meaning: Something that doesn’t work well or breaks easily
Sample Sentences: That old toy is a lemon. / I bought a lemon of a skateboard it broke fast.
Other Way to Say: A dud / A bad buy
37. Top of the crop
Meaning: The very best
Sample Sentences: Her painting was the top of the crop in art class. / He’s the top of the crop on the soccer team.
Other Way to Say: The best one / Number one
38. Go nuts
Meaning: Act wild or excited
Sample Sentences: The kids went nuts at recess. / I’ll go nuts if we win the game!
Other Way to Say: Get excited / Act wild
39. Banana oil
Meaning: Something silly or not true
Sample Sentences: That story is just banana oil! / Don’t believe him it’s banana oil.
Other Way to Say: Nonsense / A lie
40. Melon head
Meaning: Someone being silly or acting foolish
Sample Sentences: Don’t be such a melon head! / He was acting like a melon head during class.
Other Way to Say: Goofy / Acting silly
41. Not give a fig
Meaning: Not care at all
Sample Sentences: He didn’t give a fig about the rules. / I don’t give a fig what they think.
Other Way to Say: Don’t care / Not bothered
42. Banana republic
Meaning: A place or group that is not run well
Sample Sentences: That messy club meeting felt like a banana republic. / Their team was like a banana republic no rules at all.
Other Way to Say: Disorganized group / Messy system
43. Fruit salad
Meaning: A mix of many different things
Sample Sentences: My closet looks like a fruit salad of colors. / Their team is a fruit salad of styles and ideas.
Other Way to Say: Colorful mix / Mixed up
44. Nuts about something
Meaning: Like something a lot
Sample Sentences: She’s nuts about cats. / I’m nuts about this video game!
Other Way to Say: Crazy about / Really like
45. Apple-polisher
Meaning: Someone who tries too hard to get praise
Sample Sentences: He’s such an apple-polisher with the teacher. / Don’t be an apple-polisher just be honest.
Other Way to Say: Teacher’s pet / Show-off
46. Sweeten the deal
Meaning: Add something to make it better
Sample Sentences: I’ll sweeten the deal by adding extra candy. / Mom sweetened the deal with ice cream after homework.
Other Way to Say: Make better / Add a bonus
47. Nutty as a peanut
Meaning: Very silly
Sample Sentences: That joke was nutty as a peanut! / He’s nutty as a peanut when he sings.
Other Way to Say: Super silly / Funny and odd
48. Orange you glad
Meaning: A playful pun to make someone laugh
Sample Sentences: Orange you glad we’re best friends? / Orange you glad it’s Saturday?
Other Way to Say: A silly joke / A pun
49. Applesauce
Meaning: Nonsense or silly talk
Sample Sentences: That excuse is applesauce. / Stop saying applesauce and tell the truth.
Other Way to Say: Nonsense / Not true
50. A berry good friend
Meaning: A fun play on words meaning a good friend
Sample Sentences: You’re a berry good friend! / Thanks for helping you’re berry sweet.
Other Way to Say: Great friend / Kind buddy
51. Pick a plum
Meaning: Choose something great
Sample Sentences: I picked a plum project for science. / She picked a plum book for reading time.
Other Way to Say: Choose something good / Great pick
52. Figment of your imagination
Meaning: Not real, just imagined
Sample Sentences: That monster is a figment of your imagination. / I thought I saw a ghost, but it was just a figment.
Other Way to Say: Made up / Not real
53. Raising your voice
Meaning: A fun pun for “raising” your voice
Sample Sentences: Don’t raising your voice at dinner! / He raised his voice when he got upset.
Other Way to Say: Talked louder / Yelled
54. Grapes of wrath
Meaning: Strong anger
Sample Sentences: Mom showed her grapes of wrath when we broke the vase. / The coach had grapes of wrath after we goofed off.
Other Way to Say: Big anger / Super mad
55. Spill the beans
Meaning: Tell a secret
Sample Sentences: Don’t spill the beans about the surprise party. / She spilled the beans about the new puppy.
Other Way to Say: Tell a secret / Let it slip
Multiple Choice Questions: Idioms About Fruit
1. If someone says, “He’s the apple of my eye,” what do they mean?
A) He eats a lot of apples
B) He is very special to them
C) He has apples in his backpack
2. What does “go bananas” mean?
A) Eat a snack
B) Act silly or excited
C) Play outside
3. If a classmate is “a bad apple,” what are they like?
A) Nice and friendly
B) Quiet and smart
C) Someone who causes trouble
4. What does it mean to be “in a jam”?
A) You spilled jelly
B) You are stuck in a bad situation
C) You are spreading jam on bread
5. “Cherry on top” is used when something is…
A) Extra nice on something already good
B) A fruit on your dessert
C) Red like a cherry
6. When someone says, “Don’t compare apples and oranges,” what are they saying?
A) Eat both fruits
B) The fruits taste the same
C) You can’t compare two very different things
7. What does “sweet as honey” describe?
A) Something sticky
B) Someone very kind
C) A sweet fruit
8. What does “bear fruit” mean?
A) To grow an apple
B) To have good results from hard work
C) To pick fruit
9. If your backpack is “jam-packed,” what does that mean?
A) You put jam in it
B) It’s very full
C) It’s too heavy to carry
10. What does it mean when you are “in a pickle”?
A) You smell like pickles
B) You’re in trouble
C) You’re eating lunch
11. If someone “spills the beans,” what did they do?
A) Drop their food
B) Eat too fast
C) Tell a secret
12. What does “low-hanging fruit” mean in school work?
A) A fruit in a tree
B) An easy task to do first
C) Something you can’t reach
Answer Key
- B) He is very special to them
- B) Act silly or excited
- C) Someone who causes trouble
- B) You are stuck in a bad situation
- A) Extra nice on something already good
- C) You can’t compare two very different things
- B) Someone very kind
- B) To have good results from hard work
- B) It’s very full
- B) You’re in trouble
- C) Tell a secret
- B) An easy task to do first
Scoring Guide
- 12 Correct Answers: Love Fruit Idioms Master!
You understand these sayings really well. Keep it up! - 8–11 Correct Answers: Well on your way to understanding fruit idioms.
You’re doing great. Just a few more to review! - 4–7 Correct Answers: Room for improvement, but you’re getting there!
Try going over some of the idioms again. - 0–3 Correct Answers: Let’s explore the world of fruit idioms together.
That’s okay everybody starts somewhere!
Conclusion
Learning idioms about fruit is a fun way to speak clearly and creatively. These phrases help us share our feelings and ideas using everyday fruits. Now you know what people mean when they say someone is the “apple of their eye” or when plans “go pear-shaped.”
Keep using these idioms, and soon you’ll understand them easily. You can impress your friends and family by adding these fun expressions into your conversations.
