applecart

[ ap-uhl-kahrt ]

noun

1. a pushcart used by a vendor of apples.

applecart

/ ˈæpəlˌkɑːt /

noun

1. a cart or barrow from which apples and other fruit are sold in the street
2. upset the applecart
   to spoil plans or arrangements

Word History and Origins

Origin of applecart¹

First recorded in 1780–90; apple + cart

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. upset the / someone's applecart, to ruin plans or arrangements; spoil something:

   He was making a fantastic profit until a competitor upset the applecart by cutting prices.

Example Sentences

Albert Einstein famously upset Isaac Newton’s applecart by figuring out space and time aren’t separate and light energy isn’t like a continuous ray, but is “packaged” as photons that are both particles and waves.

From Salon

From applecart and biodiversity to xeriscaping and zucchini, this delightfully readable resource is filled with hope.

From Seattle Times

The case for progress seems “incontrovertible,” McClellan says, and Pinker’s call for pursuing further advances “without upsetting the applecart” makes sense.

From Scientific American

“I’m not planning to step on nobody’s foot or get in some controversy or turn over the applecart. I’m just going to be Eddie. Whatever comes out, that’s what it’s going to be.”

From Seattle Times

Todd Phillips’ Joker spins the tale of a pathetic loser who ends up a winner, the low-class upstart who upsets the applecart and explodes the establishment.

From The Guardian