“How Do You Like Them Apples?” What It Means & Where It Comes From

What does “How do you like them tpples?” mean?

“How do you like them apples?” is a rhetorical question to taunt someone you’ve bested or surprised. Basically, it’s a way to jokingly mock someone after you’ve given them some unpleasant news or beaten them at something (like winning a game, getting a job opportunity over them, etc.). It’s very similar to the expression “How do you like that?” “Looks like I win again! How do you like them apples?” “Turns out you parked in a tow zone! How do you like them apples?”

When to Say “How Do You Like Them Apples?”

When you want to taunt someone you just beat or outsmarted Most often, “How do you like them apples?” is a tongue-in-cheek way to ridicule someone for losing or failing at something you succeeded at (for example, losing a card game to you or failing to get a driver’s license after you successfully got yours). So, pull out “How do you like them apples?” to jokingly tease your friends (and be just a little full of yourself, too). It feels extra satisfying to say when they previously thought they would pull ahead, but you managed to turn the tables on them. “And that’s a royal flush! How do you like them apples? I win!” Them: “I failed my driver’s license test.”You: “Looks like I’ll be driving us around then after all! How do you like them apples?” Tip: “How do you like them apples?” is a pretty casual and lighthearted phrase. Avoid using it in professional, formal, or serious situations.

When you deliver some info you know will ruin someone’s day Surprise! Do you have some sour news you can’t wait to tell someone because you know it’ll bother them? Say “How do you like them apples?” after you drop the bad news to playfully rub it in their face or make fun of their situation. “I just heard you’re not getting a car for your birthday after all! How do you like them apples?” “Hah! Your guy lost the election. How do you like them apples?” Tip: Save this phrase for lighthearted situations and not serious or devastating news. Saying “How do you like them apples?” after telling someone their pet has passed would be considered super insensitive, for example.

When you want to tell someone they have a bad idea When you’re presented with a problem and someone suggests an impractical (or maybe just plain idiotic) solution, talk through how their idea would hypothetically play out and end badly. Then, say “How do you like them apples?” to mean something like “That doesn’t sound like such a great idea now, does it?” “You can’t text him back after going no contact. He’ll just keep texting you again and again and then you’ll be back together. Now how would you like them apples?” “I can’t give you extra allowance this month. If I do, I’ll have less money for Christmas presents and you won’t get a new toy. How do you like them apples?”

Where did “How do you like them apples?” come from?

“How do you like them apples?” may have originated in late-1800s Texas. It’s not totally clear when or where the phrase first came from, but the earliest printed reference to it comes from a Texas newspaper called the Bryan Eagle in 1895. The paper says: “Bryan is the best cotton market in this section of the state and has received more cotton than any other town in this section. How do you like ‘them apples’?” The author of the article put “them apples” in quotation marks, which might mean they’re referencing a local and recognizable saying.

Some think British “toffee apple” bombs in WWI inspired the saying. During World War I, the British designed “toffee apple” bombs to be shot from a 2-inch mortar, like a Howitzer. They called them these because they resembled an actual toffee or candy apple—a small, circular barrel mounted on a stick-like catapult system. Some were even painted yellow, making them look even more apple-like. It’s thought that soldiers would mockingly yell “How do you like them apples?” as they fired the bombs into enemy territory.

Popular movies like Good Will Hunting helped the expression catch on. Throughout the 20th century, the phrase “How do you like them apples?” appeared in various American movies and TV shows. Through this exposure, it became a well-known and recognizable saying to most people (even if it sounds old-fashioned or inoffensive these days). Many people today learned and associate the expression with a famous scene from Good Will Hunting, even though it came out in 1997 and the saying had already been around for over 100 years.

Notable Pop Culture References

Good Will Hunting (1997) Directed by Gus Van Sant, this drama starring Matt Damon is responsible for many Americans hearing “How do you like them apples?” for the first time. In the movie, a pompous Harvard student is being condescending toward Damon and his friends while trying to get the attention of a woman at a bar (Minnie Driver). Damon humiliates him in a debate and then ends up getting Driver’s phone number as a result. Later, Damon sees the Harvard student through a window. He knocks on the glass and asks him, “Do you like apples?” The Harvard student says “Yes,” so Damon replies, “Well, I got her number. How do you like them apples?” The unique setup (“Do you like apples?”) may be why this scene sticks out to so many people. If you haven’t seen it, you can watch the scene on YouTube here. Good Will Hunting is unofficially credited with popularizing “How do you like them apples?” because of the number of parodies that scene inspired, including in TV shows like Freaks and Geeks and The Office.

Chinatown (1974) In this classic neo-noir film directed by Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson says “How do you like them apples?” to taunt an adversary. He says so with a smirk, hinting at his character Jake Gittes’ cunning and manipulative nature. It’s unknown whether Nicholson improvised the line or not, but many suspect that screenwriter Robert Towne may have included the line as a reference to the Western film Rio Bravo (1959), which includes the line during a fight scene. Towne had previously worked on another Western film and was likely familiar with Rio Bravo.

Rio Bravo (1959) In this Western directed by Howard Hawks, John Wayne is in a shootout with his pal Stumpy (Walter Brennan). During the fight, Stumpy tosses several sticks of dynamite at the enemy and yells “How do you like them apples?” This may be a direct reference to the “toffee apple” bombs the British used during WWI. You can watch the full scene on YouTube here.