How do you like them apples

"How do you like them apples?", also shortened to, "How do you like them?" or, "Them apples", is an American idiom used to gloat or to express bemusement. [ [http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/how+do+you+like+them+apples.html "How do you like them apples," UsingEnglish.com. Accessed 14 January 2007.] ] In both senses, the phrase probably acts as a rhetorical question. The origin of this idiom is uncertain.

Theories of origin

One theory as to its origin suggests that it originated in World War I with the "toffee apple," a kind of trench mortar bomb sometimes used to destroy tanks. The phrase would be said gloatingly (as the term is now used) after an "apple" took out an enemy.Fact|date=July 2007

Another more likely explanation is that it comes from the 20's when apples were seen as a status symbol. If someone was showing off their apples, but someone else had fresher ones...they used the phrase.

In popular culture

In the 1956 television episode of "I Love Lucy" "Home from Europe," Lucille Ball uses the phrase.

The phrase also occurs in the 1959 Hollywood Western film "Rio Bravo". After the character Chance sharp-shoots a stick of dynamite, the character Stumpy exclaims, "Dude, how do you like them apples?" [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053221/quotes "Memorable Quotes from Rio Bravo (1959)", The Internet Movie Database. Accessed 14 January 2007.] ]

In the 1960 film "From the Terrace", Paul Newman says, "How do you like them apples?" to Joanne Woodward at the end of the film as he thwarts her attempt to keep him from divorcing her.

Also in 1960's Who Was That Lady?, Dean Martin asked Tony Curtis "How do you like them apples?" after admitting he was in the FBI.

In 1970's film MASH (film), during a football game Roger Bowen's character yells "How do you like them apples?!" to the general after the general finds out about his ringer player.

Another example is "Chinatown" from 1974, where Jack Nicholson utters the phrase after a surprising telephone call. [ [http://imdb.com/title/tt0071315/quotes "Memorable Quotes from Chinatown (1974)", The Internet Movie Database. Accessed 28 April 2007.] ]

The phrase also appears in the 1996 movie "From Dusk Till Dawn", uttered by George Clooney's character after successful passage through the Mexican border.

In Edward Albee's play, The American Dream, this line is spoken by the "Grandma" character on two separate occasions.

In the season two episode of the sitcom The King of Queens, , Carrie uses the phrase to joke about an apple themed hotel.

In the 2002 episode of the West Wing entitled The Two Bartlets (Season 3), Amy Gardner repeatedly uses the phrase "How do you like them apples?" in a conversation with Josh Lyman (Deputy White House Chief of Staff). Amy is trying to convince Josh that her partner's affections are sincere and uses the phrase to qualify every example of her partner's sincerity. She uses the phrase to the point that Josh intercedes: "We’re gonna stop with the apples soon, right?"

Then also in the film 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Brian O'Conner, whilst driving in reverse on the freeway shouts "How d'ya like them apples" to his friend Roman Pearce.

In The Simpsons episode The War of the Simpsons, Homer asks Bart "How do you like them apples?" after winning an arguement with him.

The phrase "How do you like them apples?" has been used in film since at least 1956, getting wide exposure in the popular 1997 Hollywood movie "Good Will Hunting", in which Will, the film's main character, gloats to a rival, Clark, about winning a young woman's affection::Will: "Do you like apples?":Clark: "Yeah.":Will: "Well, I got her number. How do you like them apples?" [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119217/quotes "Memorable Quotes from Good Will Hunting (1997)", The Internet Movie Database. Accessed 14 January 2007.] ]

Matt Damon, who played Will, also used this phrase in the "I'm Fucking Matt Damon" music video by Sarah Silverman, directed against Silverman's then boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel, indicating her breasts.

References