diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 4dfe24e39e..6ff2ae2f92 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1196,12 +1196,6 @@ check_host_cpp_condition(){
 EOF
 }
 
-apply(){
-    file=$1
-    shift
-    "$@" < "$file" > "$file.tmp" && mv "$file.tmp" "$file" || rm "$file.tmp"
-}
-
 cp_if_changed(){
     cmp -s "$1" "$2" && { test "$quiet" != "yes" && echo "$2 is unchanged"; } && return
     mkdir -p "$(dirname $2)"