Friday, 29 January 2010

Upset the Apple-cart

Upset the apple-cart

Meaning

To cause upset - to create a difficulty.

Origin

This allusory phrase is first recorded by Jeremy Belknap in The History of New Hampshire, 1788:

"Adams had almost overset the apple-cart by intruding an amendment of his own fabrication on the morning of the day of ratification" [of the Constitution].

No comments: