Definition of the word cherry picker

The term "cherry picker" originally referred to a specific fruit-picking technique used in orchards to selectively harvest ripe cherries without disturbing the unripe ones. Cherry pickers, also known as cherry picker baskets, are traditional woven baskets that workers would clip onto a branch and gently shake to record the ripest cherries to fall into the basket below. This method ensured that only the best fruit was chosen, hence the metaphorical use of the term "cherry-picking" to describe the selective choice of preferred aspects or benefits. In modern usage, the term has expanded to refer to equipment used to raise workers to access high places, specifically to replace traditional ladders in construction worksites, thereby enabling safer and more efficient access to elevated areas, while retaining the original connotation of carefully selecting only the best results.