Big Apple
n.— «So many people have asked the writer about the derivation of his phrase, “the big apple,” that he is forced to make another explanation. New Orleans has called it to his mind again. A number of years back, when racing a few horses at the Fair Grounds with Jake Byer, he was watching a couple of stable hands cool out a pair of “hots” in a circle outside the stable. A boy from an adjoining barn called over. “Where you shipping after the meeting?” To this one of the lads replied, “Why we ain’t no bull-ring stable, we’s goin’ to ‘the big apple.’” The reply was bright and snappy. “Boy, I don’t know what you’re goin’ to that apple with those hides for. All you’ll get is the rind.”» —“In the Paddock” by John J. Fitz Gerald Morning Telegraph (New York City) Dec. 1, 1926. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
There are eight major planets, but more than a million minor ones, including asteroids. If you discover one, you get the honor of naming it. The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names includes minor planets named for rock bands, jazz musicians, poets, and...
Ash in Huntsville, Alabama, wonders about the phrase all stove up, which is how his body feels after a long day’s work. It comes from the expression to stave in, meaning “to smash in,” as when something smashes in the staves of a barrel. This...