like Johnny Appleseed
- idiom
- US
:
como Johnny Appleseed
- He traveled from town to town, sowing wildflower seeds like Johnny Appleseed.
Examples
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He travels across the country, planting trees like Johnny Appleseed to improve the environment.
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Their organization donates books to rural schools, acting like Johnny Appleseed in the world of education.
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She volunteers at every event, always helping out like Johnny Appleseed.
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She helps her neighbors like Johnny Appleseed.
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He volunteers at the community garden like Johnny Appleseed.
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She donates her time to local charities, spreading kindness like Johnny Appleseed to those in need.
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The group organizes tree-planting events every spring, working like Johnny Appleseed to beautify the community.
Synonyms
27
9.7
A person who often helps other people
9
8.2
A person who wants to protect trees and nature, sometimes used as an insult
8
2.8
A person in their community admired for brave acts or kind work
A person who plants many trees and encourages others to plant trees too
A person who tries to stop people cutting down trees
A person who gives money or help to a city, often in ancient times
A person admired for important work in art, music, writing, or ideas that change society
Antonyms
How Generous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase relies on recognition of the cultural folk figure 'Johnny Appleseed' to convey ‘someone who plants trees/does good deeds’; the literal constituents ('like' + a proper name containing 'Appleseed') do not by themselves indicate this meaning. An average B1 learner who only knows the component words but not the cultural reference would not be able to derive the intended sense, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
The phrase like Johnny Appleseed comes from an American folk hero, Johnny Appleseed, who walked across the countryside planting apple seeds and trees. Because he left trees and help in many places, calling someone like Johnny Appleseed means they 'plant trees' or 'do good deeds' in lots of places.