applecart

noun

ap·​ple·​cart ˈa-pəl-ˌkärt 

: a plan, system, situation, or undertaking that may be disrupted or terminated

upset the applecart

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

But for morphogenes evolution has to use the tools and tricks of photoshopping, making recourse to extant elements and rearranging or tweaking things here and there so as not to upset the complex applecart while modulating on the margins. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2010

What upsets the applecart and sends employees scattering? —Rob Catalano, Forbes, 2 May 2022

The supplier spent two decades manufacturing the Cameroon national team jerseys and used it as an opportunity to really upset the applecart. —Zak Garner-purkis, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2021

But unlike France, knocked out by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, and England, eliminated during the group stage, Germany, coached by Stefan Kuntz, managed to upset the applecart. —Manuel Veth, Forbes, 6 June 2021

And this ‘goldilocks’ scenario is something Wall Street seems to like: the possibility of more economic support for a struggling economy without the possibility of legislation that will completely upset the applecart. —Nathan Bachrach And Amy Wagner, The Enquirer, 14 Jan. 2021

Assume another Republican seat is added, though if the commission upsets the proverbial applecart in the state, that number could grow. —Sean Trende, National Review, 13 Nov. 2020

With the La Porte Texans bringing a perfect 6-0 record to the game and averaging 23 points per contest, no one imagined the 3-3 Tigers would come within a two-point kick of upsetting the TIFI applecart. —Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 30 Sep. 2019

For Pasadena, hopes of upsetting the applecart went out the window after the Game 1 loss. —Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 3 Sep. 2019

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Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above