The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

I just learned the new idioms: “Like father, like son” and “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

We use them to say that children are usually similar to their parents, right? Especially in a bad way?

Thank you!!!

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It doesn’t have to be children. Like father, like son can be used for any age. Similarly with “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” They don’t have to have any negative connotations with them, but they can.

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“Like father, like son” can refer to either positive or negative behavior. It will be in the context.

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” seems to be usually used when commenting on something in a negative way.

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In my experience, it is not necessarily negative. It is an adage or proverb, so people will often say it as a brief comment. First, a negative example:

Sam: Did you hear Joe got caught shoplifting the other day?
Alex: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

(Here, Alex probably means that Joe’s father is a criminal, so it is not surprising that Joe is also.)

But positive examples are just as common:

Sam: Did you hear Joe got into Harvard University?
Alex: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

(Here, Alex probably means that Joe’s father went to Harvard or another prestigious university.)

This idiom might even be used as a compliment:

Sam: My son just graduated with honors from his university.
Alex: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

(Here, Alex is complimenting Sam’s academic success, in addition to pointing out the similar success of the son.)

As a fun side note, a similar idiom is “birds of a feather flock together”. This is a comment about how a person is similar to their friends or peers, and has similar usage, but is more often used negatively.

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Thank you for the examples. It really helps!!!