VOA慢速英语--'Apple-Polishers' Often Become the 'Teacher's Pet'

 

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.

The fruit of apple trees is a popular food in many countries.

Some word experts say that no other fruit is used in more English language expressions than the apple.

For example, you can be the apple of someone’s eye, meaning the most loved.

You can upset the apple cart, meaning to create disorder¹. If your apple didn’t fall far from the tree, you are very much like your mom or dad.

And if you are compare apples and oranges you are comparing two things that are so different that any comparison is really not productive.

And today, we have yet another apple term. That term is apple-polisher!

To explain it, we need to go back to school.

In the United States, people have long used the apple as a sign or symbol for education. Teachers and school officials often use apples in announcements and on posters hung in classrooms and school hallways. Candidates for school board positions often put an apple on election campaign materials. And many makers² of school supplies put images of apples on their products.

But why is the apple a symbol of education?

Some historians say this tradition began in the 1800s when settlers were moving to what is now the western United States.

Back then, the U.S. government did not provide money for schools in the western frontier. The early settlers were responsible for making the schoolhouses and operating them. They also had to provide housing and food for the teachers.

Students would bring teachers food from family farms. This would often include potatoes, vegetables and apples. Apples were a fairly common form of payment since they grew easily in many different climates. And they were used to make apple cider, a popular drink.

Over the years, the tradition of giving food, in this case apples, as payment changed. It became a way of welcoming a teacher on the first day of class and hopefully leaving a good impression.

Americans looked at apples as not only sweet and tasty, but really healthy. They are also colorful, more so than potatoes. So, they make a better gift.

So that is how apples became popular gifts for teachers. And giving apples to teachers became a way of trying to curry³ favor with them. To curry someone’s favor means you try to win them over by giving them something.

You know, if you often give your teacher an apple, he or she may look kindly⁴ on you when they grade your next test. And if that apple is a beautiful, shiny one … well, your chances of getting better treatment is increased.

And that is where the term apple-polisher comes in.

Not only does an apple-polisher bring in an apple to get better treatment from the teacher, they also keep it nice and shiny. This makes sure it will be the most beautiful apple on the teacher’s desk!

The singers Bing Crosby and Connie Boswell sang about this in the 1930s song, “Apple for the Teacher.”

An apple for the teacher, is always going to do the trick.

Cause if you didn’t study your arithmetic.

I gotta an apple for the teacher, gonna meet with great success

Well, it won’t if you didn’t memorize the Gettysburg Address.

We use this as a noun and a verb. When you apple-polish, you use gifts or say nice things to improve your situation.

We have other words that mean the same thing. We also call this type of person a kiss-up, toady⁵ or boot-licker. Another popular one is teacher's pet.

It is an apple-polisher’s dream to become the teacher’s pet – much to the anger of fellow classmates.

Whether in school or at work, apple-polishers at work often anger those around them.

And that’s the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time … I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

poster – n. a usually large sheet with writing or pictures on it that is displayed as a notice, advertisement, or for decoration

impression – n. the effect or influence that something or someone has on a person's thoughts or feelings

guarantee – v. to make a promise about the condition or occurrence of something

grade – v. chiefly US : to give a grade to (a student or a student's work) : to give a rating to (something)

arithmetic – n. a branch of mathematics that deals with numbers and their addition, subtraction⁶, multiplication⁷, and division

Gettysburg Address – n. a three-minute address by Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War at the dedication⁸ of a national cemetery⁹ on the site of the Battle of Gettysburg (November 19, 1863)

compliment – n. a remark that says something good about someone or something

1 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

2 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

4 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

5 toady   

v.奉承；n.谄媚者，马屁精

参考例句：

• He flung it in my teeth that I was a toady.他责备我是个马屁精。
• Arrogance has no defense against a toady.傲慢防不了谄媚者。

6 subtraction   

n.减法，减去

参考例句：

• We do addition and subtraction in arithmetic.在算术里,我们作加减运算。
• They made a subtraction of 50 dollars from my salary.他们从我的薪水里扣除了五十美元。

7 multiplication   

n.增加，增多，倍增；增殖，繁殖；乘法

参考例句：

• Our teacher used to drum our multiplication tables into us.我们老师过去老是让我们反覆背诵乘法表。
• The multiplication of numbers has made our club building too small.会员的增加使得我们的俱乐部拥挤不堪。

8 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

9 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。