The apple of my eye is the person you love most and are proudest of. It's most often said about children and grandchildren, sometimes about a partner. The pronoun changes with the meaning: the apple of her eye, the apple of his father's eye.
When would you say the apple of my eye?
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be + the apple of my/your/his/her eye; the apple of + person's + eye
- My little granddaughter is the apple of my eye; I'd do anything for her.
- Their youngest son was the apple of their eye, and everyone in the family knew it.
- Ever since she was born, Mia has been the apple of her father's eye.
What changed
First versionMy daughter is apple of my eye.
RevisionMy daughter is the apple of my eye.
The expression needs the: it's about one special, favourite person. Articles are easy to drop, and without the, the phrase sounds like broken English. Only the article was added.
Apple here is an old word for the pupil of the eye, something precious that you instinctively protect. In modern English, though, the phrase is about a much-loved person, not a thing: She's the apple of her grandad's eye. To say you protect a thing or a secret very carefully, English says guard something with your life.
Your turn
Grandma keeps every drawing her only grandson sends and talks about him all day. He's the ___ of her eye.
Show the answer
apple — Grandma adores her grandson and is proud of him, and the fixed phrase for that is the apple of her eye. Pupil is the literal word for that part of the eye, but it doesn't work in the idiom and sounds like an anatomy lesson.
Write about the person your family loves most. Say how they're related to you and how that love shows.
My little nephew is the apple of my mum's eye: she calls him every evening and keeps all his photos on her fridge.
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