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apple-pie bed

American  

noun

  1. a bed that has been short-sheeted as a joke.


apple-pie bed British  

noun

  1. a way of making a bed so as to prevent the person from entering it

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of apple-pie bed

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It was no good her wishing her good wish, because she had been a bad girl the day before—making the Countess an apple-pie bed and all—disgraceful!

From Once on a Time by Charles Robinson

Listen again to one Montagu, a sixth-form boy who has caught a gang of dormitory roysterers preparing an apple-pie bed for him.

From The Lighter Side of School Life by Ian Hay

But you see, Anne, this perhaps has irritated them more than an apple-pie bed.

From I'll Leave It To You A Light Comedy In Three Acts by Noel Coward

It was the most perfect apple-pie bed ever made.

From Once on a Time by Charles Robinson

"A booby trap," said H. O., "the first thing when they get up, and an apple-pie bed at night."

From The Wouldbegoods by E. (Edith) Nesbit

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