Question

Please can you give me the expansion of the proverb an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Answer 1

This proverb is all about looking after our health. It can be applied both in a specific sense and in a more general sense.
In its specific sense, this proverb is telling us literally to eat an apple every single day (if we can) to get the benefit of the fiber, vitamins and other nutritional advantages this fruit offers.

In its more general sense, this proverb signifies that we should look after our health.

Either way, the proverb states that eating an apple each day, and looking after our health, will ‘keep the doctor away’. This means that we will not need any medical appointments because we will be healthy. In earlier times, when the proverb was first used, the doctor often used to visit their patients at home, hence the proverb says ‘keep the doctor away’ rather than ‘keep us away from the doctor’.

So, in summary, this proverb can be taken to mean:
• Eating apples is good for our health
• Looking after our health is a good idea
• Taking responsibility for our own health will prevent us from having to see the doctor
• Getting into a daily routine can be good for health
• Good health can start with simple acts – like eating an apple

This proverb has also been turned into a popular joke. The joke goes: ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away, if you aim right’. Here, the joke suggests that the best way to keep the doctor away is not to eat an apple – but to throw it at the doctor. The fact that this joke has become so popular attests to the popularity of the original proverb. People would not understand the joke if they did not first understand the proverb that it is based on.