Question: Can you explain the origin of the phrase "apple of my eye"? What is the apple of your eye, anyway?Answer: The idiom "apple of one's eye" actually refers to the pupil of the eye. In ancient times, the pupil was believed to be a round, solid object comparable to an apple. Since the pupil is essential to vision, it was held to be something very precious. Thus, when you call someone the "apple of your eye," you are telling them that they are cherished.

The phrase is from the Bible, in which it appears in four books of The Old Testament: Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs and Lamentations. The first use of the phrase appears in Deuteronomy 32:10, which reads "He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye." A more literal translation of the Hebrew is actually "little man of his eye," which probably refers to the reflection of oneself that one sees in the eye of another person. In early English translations of the Bible, however, the phrase appears as "apple of his eye." This probably developed from the Anglo-Saxon word "arppel," meaning both "apple" and "pupil." Thus the phrase developed into "apple of one's eye" and retained the meaning of something treasured.

Question: My teenage children spend a good deal of their free time at "the mall." It got me wondering, just where does the word "mall" come from?

Answer: Our word "mall" derives from a 16th-century Italian game called "pallamaglio." The game involved driving a wooden "palla," or ball, with a "maglio," or mallet, through an iron ring at the end of an alley. The French also played the game and called it "pallemaille," which became "pall-mall" when the English adopted the game in the 17th century.

Eventually the word "mall" was used to refer to the alley on which the game was played. Even after the game lost popularity, use of the word "mall" to refer to the alleys survived.

Many of the alleys later became streets or walks. One of the most popular walks was located in St. James's Park in London, and, lined with trees and flowers, this fashionable place became known as The Mall. Use of the word "mall" to mean landscaped walks spread to other areas as well.

Today, of course, in the United States "mall" usually refers to a place to shop. Depending on where you live, a "mall" can be an open-air shopping area or a large building. Both are usually made up of retail shops and restaurants, and sometimes professional offices, theaters and other businesses. The idea of walking through an open or at least spacious area seems to be the link of meaning that connects our malls with the malls of England.

Question: I recently heard a film critic put down a mystery movie as "cut-and-dried." I knew what he meant in a general way, but I wondered how the saying developed.

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Answer: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines "cut-and-dried," sometimes seen as "cut-and-dry," as "done according to a plan, set procedure, formula or routine." The reviewer was probably telling you that the film lacked originality and was just another version of a familiar story.

Originally, "cut-and-dried" referred to the medicinal herbs sold in herbalists shops of 17th-century England. Whether for the sake of convenience or because, as some sources claim, the herbs were more effective as remedies in dried form, the herbalists literally cut and dried large quantities of various herbs and made them available in this prepared form, saving customers the task of harvesting fresh plants. In time, "cut-and-dried" became a set phrase meaning "ready-made and far from fresh." When used figuratively, the expression had a negative connotation.

The earliest known use of the expression used in its figurative sense appeared in a 1710 letter to a minister. Apparently feeling the same boredom as the reviewer you mention, the author of the letter complained that the minister's sermon was "ready Cut and Dry'd."

This column was prepared by the editors of Merriam-Webster's "Collegiate Dictionary," Tenth Edition. Send questions to: Merriam-Webster's Wordwatch, P.O. Box 281, 47 Federal St., Springfield, MA 01102. Merriam-Webster Inc. Dist. by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service

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