applecart

American  

[ap-uhl-kahrt] / ˈæp əlˌkɑrt /

noun

1. a pushcart used by a vendor of apples.

---

idioms

1. upset the / someone's applecart, to ruin plans or arrangements; spoil something.

   He was making a fantastic profit until a competitor upset the applecart by cutting prices.

applecart British  

/ ˈæpəlˌkɑːt /

noun

1. a cart or barrow from which apples and other fruit are sold in the street

2. to spoil plans or arrangements

---

Etymology

Origin of applecart

First recorded in 1780–90; apple + cart

Example Sentences

“A Fed hike could upset the applecart in a major way, sucking a lot of capital into the U.S.,” he says.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

Albert Einstein famously upset Isaac Newton’s applecart by figuring out space and time aren’t separate and light energy isn’t like a continuous ray, but is “packaged” as photons that are both particles and waves.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2024

From applecart and biodiversity to xeriscaping and zucchini, this delightfully readable resource is filled with hope.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2021

The US central bank is keen not to upset the applecart but seems to have done so anyway.

From The Guardian • Apr. 6, 2017

Without you I can't do anything but kick over the applecart for Whit Monk; and that sort of revenge is mighty unsatisfactory.

From Alias the Lone Wolf by Vance, Louis Joseph