It probably wasn’t very long ago, because we Americans really take the cake when it comes to using foods in our everyday figures of speech. For example, when things go right, they are in apple pie order, and life is a bowl of cherries; but when they go wrong, it’s a fine kettle of fish, or a pretty pickle.
If a man is important, he’s top banana. If he’s not, he may be just a meatball. If he’s clumsy, he’s butterfingered. If he’s cowardly, he’s chicken-livered. If he’s poised, he’s cool as a cucumber. If he’s smart, he’s an egghead. And if he’s a prize-fighter, he very likely has cauliflower ears.
If he talks too much, he spills the beans. And if he doesn’t talk enough, he clams up.
Moreover, he doesn’t earn money, he earns dough, or he brings home the bacon. And if he’s working for peanuts, his wife may egg him on to butter up the boss.
If something is good, it’s a peach. If it’s bad, it’s a lemon, and that may lead to rhubarb; but someone will say it’s just sour grapes.
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