An important influence in establishing a new meaning came in the 1970s, when the Osmonds released their hit song "One Bad Apple (Don't Spoil the Whole Bunch, Girl)," reversing the emphasis entirely. Without the reminder of rotting apples, people were free to draw their own conclusion. And once the phrase is out there again and people are saying 'one bad apple,' you think, 'What could that mean?' Then you can assign it new meaning." "If the previous image isn't related to our lives significantly anymore, it sort of disconnects it from its original context. Throughout the 19th century, a version of the original was frequently used in Sunday sermons: "As one bad apple spoils the others, so you must show no quarter to sin or sinners." "Historically, there is a version of this proverb going way back the earliest is from 1340 in English and probably earlier in Latin." "The original phrase being, 'A rotten apple quickly infects its neighbor,'" Zimmer told ABC News. It's a proverb whose meaning has changed 180 degrees from its origins, according to Ben Zimmer, a linguist and language columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Several officials have used this phrase to defend police organizations as videos emerge of violent misconduct by officers during protests and the now-familiar release of footage showing fatal arrests of black men who pleaded, "I can't breathe." "A few bad apples" is a phrase Americans have heard more than a few times recently as protests against police brutality, spurred by the death of George Floyd, continue throughout the U.S.
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