Applesauce

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A smooth, cooked mixture made by mashing apples ; language or ideas that are silly or untrue
2. A soft condiment made from stewed apples often eaten with meals ; words or statements that lack sense or are ridiculous
3. A sweet puree prepared from apples used as a side or ingredient ; absurd or meaningless talk or nonsense

Etymology: Applesauce is about as transparent as English compounds get: "apple" plus "sauce," with the sauce here meaning a relish or accompaniment served with food, the same sense that gives us "tomato sauce" or "cranberry sauce." The dish itself is old, and the compound simply names a stewed-apple relish by its two plainest ingredients. The more surprising twist is the second meaning. Applied to speech, "applesauce" means nonsense or empty flattery, something you would say a listener should not believe. That figurative use grew out of the everyday sense of the word, so the idiom is essentially a joke on the food: what is being served is pleasant-sounding but insubstantial stuff, in the way a mild, smooth relish is easy to swallow without much flavour to back it up.