Why Polish an Apple?

According to , it means "Try to win favor through flattery, as in It may help your standing with the boss if you polish the apple. This expression gave rise to the phrase apple polishing.

What does polishing an apple do?

Since the waxy layer prevents moisture in the apple from escaping, its loss shortens the storage time for the fruit. Producers therefore spray the fruit with a thin layer of wax to prevent such moisture loss as well as to make the apple look more appealing.

Do people Polish apples?

Apples produce their own wax while growing. Once picked, the wax can become cloudy or powdery looking and people rub their apples to rub that wax off, which gives their apple a cleaner/shinier appearance. In essence, rubbing the apple is "cleaning" it.