Is “Apple Cider” Redundant?
You see them at all the grocery stores this time of year: bottles of apple cider. So imagine my surprise when I read in Garner’s Modern American Usage that “apple cider” is technically redundant. Cider is defined as “juice pressed from apples.” It comes from the Late Latin word for “strong drink.”
“Apple cider” is an example of marketing influencing the language. Some drink makers call juice from other fruits cider (e.g., blueberry cider, cherry cider), so some manufacturers who make traditional cider feel the need to point out that their juice is from apples.
“Apple cider” now joins “chai tea” (which technically means “tea tea,” since “chai” is the Hindi word for “tea”) as a phrase that is technically redundant, but often needed so consumers understand what they’re buying.
UPDATE: Ngram graph added 10/14/2011:
Mignon Fogarty is the author of Grammar Girl’s 101 Misused Words You’ll Never Confuse Again. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook.
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About the Author
Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.” She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show. Her popular LinkedIn Learning courses help people write better to communicate better.
