The idiom the apple of my eye means someone or something that one loves or values very much. It is often used by parents or grandparents to express their affection for their children or grandchildren.
The origin of this phrase is from the ancient belief that the pupil of the eye was a solid, apple-shaped body that was essential for sight. It appears in several places in the Bible, where it is used to describe God’s love for Israel or his chosen people. For example, in Deuteronomy 32:10, it says: “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”.
Some examples of how to use this idiom in sentences are:
- You are the apple of my eye, my darling.
- He treats his car like the apple of his eye.
- She is the apple of her father’s eye. He spoils her rotten.