Apple of My Eye - Meaning, Origin, and Sentences - Literary Devices (2024)

Meanings of the Phrase, “Apple of My Eye”

The phrase, “apple of my eye” usually refers to the central aperture of the eye, but in a literal sense, it conveys a different meaning. The phrase is used as an idiom which means special, or a beloved person, or a thing. The phrase is mostly used by parents or grandparents to express their love to the young ones.

Origin of the Phrase, “Apple of My Eye”

The phrase “apple of my eye” was first coined in AD 885, in a work attributed to King Aelfred, titled, Gregory’s Pastoral Care. Later, William Shakespeare used this phrase in one of his plays, Midsummer Night Dream, in 1600. It was also used in the Bible. For example, in Deuteronomy 32:10. it is stated as; “He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” Since then, the phrase has been popular in the same words without any tangible change.

Examples from Literature

Example #1‎

Apple of My Eye by Damien Dempsey

“Flying o’r the sea,
My guitar and me.
Thirty thousand feet,
What a brilliant feat.
Go west, don’t go east,
A famine or a feast.
We’re treated better there,
A homeless one is rare.
I feel,
The city’s lure.
The apple of my eye,
I cherish her.”

The above lines show the true meanings of this phrase. The excited speaker expresses his feelings for his beloved whom he called the apple of his eyes. He imagines as if he flies over the sea with his musical instrument to find a place where they will be treated better. He feels the city’s lure and cheers the apple of his eye in the presence of everybody.

Example #2

The Apple Of My Eye by Khaled Elbalishy

“for me! ! could you open me your heart?
and put my trust.
You are the apple of my eye,
I love you, I can’t say’Why’
Surrender, I rise the white banner,
for your well-behaved and good manner.
Would you like to stay with me?
Give me your honey speech like bee.”

Here, the phrase, the apple of my eye, is used in its actual meaning. He expresses his emotions and feelings for his beloved, as he wants her to open her heart for him. He wants to make her realize the intensity of his love by admiring her attitude, manner, and behavior.

Example #3

The Apple Of My Eyes by Emelita C. Smith

“You are the apple of my eyes.
The center of my Universe.
My precious gem, among the jewels.
My great gift from heaven.
The one that cheered me up when I am sad.
You make me laugh with teary eyes.
You made me cranky sometimes,
but make me happy most of the time.
Your soft skin, so lovely to touch.”

This poem explains the meanings of this phrase through a metaphorical expression of the second person, who is the apple of the speaker’s eyes. The speaker, enthralled with passionate love, expresses her profound love for her lover. She says that her lover is a kind of gem, the center of her universe and a gift from heaven. Throughout the poem, she tries to make him feel special; the one who shoulders her in her bad days. She feels so lucky to have him in her life. The meanings of the phrase are literal and straightforward.

Example #4

Your The Apple Of My Eye by Kaila George

“Mum why are their stars?
Because people believe
It’s a birth of a newborn child
Mum why do you cry?
Because I am so happy
God gave you in my life
I love you mum
I love you son
You’re the apple of my eye.”

The above lines give the true meanings of this phrase through the conversation of a mother and a son. The poem is based on simple yet witty questions of an innocent speaker who questions about war, rainfall, blue sky, stars, and sunshine. The mother, on the contrary, tries to give him satisfactory answers to his questions. However, in the end, she starts crying and both express their unbound love for each other.

Example #5

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

OBERON (squeezing flower juice into DEMETRIUS ‘s eyes)
Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid’s archery,
Sink in apple of his eye.
When his love he doth espy,
Let her shine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.
When thou wakest, if she be by,
Beg of her for remedy.

Similar to all the examples, the above extract attempts to explain the literal meaning of this phrase. The above-stated lines speak about the incident when Oberon tries to put the love ointment on Demetrius’ eyes to make him fall in love with Helena.

Example in Sentences

Example #1: “He was the apple of her eyes, and she promised him to take care of him for as long as she was able to support.”

Example #2: “My granddaughter is the apple of my eye, said the old man, lovingly looking at her playing in the distance.”

Example #3: “Whenever I’m at Brian’s house, I can tell that he holds his wife dearly. Yes, she’s the apple of his eye.”

Example #4: “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.”

Example #5: “He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.”