Meanings
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of bite of the cherry.
Origin
The bite at the cherry form is the original. By the 1940s, cherry had taken on the additional meaning of "virginity" and the phrase was considered embarrassing, and so "apple" replaced "cherry" in American usage. The first recorded use of the "apple" form is in 1922.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
bite at the apple. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20at%20the%20apple
“bite at the apple.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20at%20the%20apple. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bite at the apple,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20at%20the%20apple.
Source: bite at the apple on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.