Applejohn

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A variety of apple which can be kept for a long period, gradually becoming dry and withered; known today as the French crab. obsolete

    "What the devil hast thou brought there? apple-johns? / thou knowest Sir John cannot endure an apple-john."

Example

More examples

"What the devil hast thou brought there? apple-johns? / thou knowest Sir John cannot endure an apple-john."

Etymology

From apple + John, possibly from the fact that it can be eaten on St. John's Day, June 24th, of the year after it was picked.

Related phrases

french crab

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.