Definition
This idiom is used to say a child has similar characteristics to his or her parent.
For example – “You are as stubborn as your father.”
“Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Clip 1
Clip 1 is from the movie Before Midnight. The female character is discussing the characteristics of the male character’s son as only caring about pimples and how girls perceive him. She uses the idiom ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ to describe that this behaviour is similar to the male character, the child’s father.
Clip 2
Clip 2 is from the film Royal Matchmaker. The female character is talking to the two male character’s who are father and son and highlighting their mutual love of the outdoors. The father says he is not as active as his son and this when the son disagrees and uses the idiom to show they are in fact very similar when it comes to how active they both are.
Clip 3
The final clip is from the movie Prom. A father is asking his daughter about a boy she is hanging around with and remarks that he used to know her father. He uses the idiom “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” in a disapproving tone to demonstrate that the boy’s father didn’t have good behavior so the boy is likely to behave in the same way.