Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An important person.
- noun A solid food prepared from the pressed curd of milk, often seasoned and aged.
- noun A molded mass of this substance.
- noun Something resembling this substance in shape or consistency.
- transitive verb To stop.
- idiom (cheese it) To look out. Often used in the imperative.
- idiom (cheese it) To get away fast; get going. Often used in the imperative.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The thing; the correct or proper thing; the finished or perfect thing: always with the definite article.
- noun See
sage cheese . - noun A term sometimes used to describe a poor thin cheese made from whey.
- noun A local derisive name for any skim-milk cheese of poor quality. Also called
white-oak cheese and basswood cheese. - To become cheese: as, the cheesing of milk.
- noun The curd or casein of milk, coagulated by rennet or some acid, separated from the serum or whey, and pressed in a vat, hoop, or mold.
- noun A mass of pomace or ground apples pressed together in a cider-press.
- noun The inflated appearance of a gown or petticoat resulting from whirling round and making a low courtesy, supposed to resemble a large cheese; hence, a low courtesy.
- noun plural Same as
cheese-cake , 3. - To stop.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The curd of milk, coagulated usually with rennet, separated from the whey, and pressed into a solid mass in a hoop or mold.
- noun A mass of pomace, or ground apples, pressed together in the form of a cheese.
- noun colloq. The flat, circular, mucilaginous fruit of the dwarf mallow (
Malva rotundifolia ). - noun A low courtesy; -- so called on account of the cheese form assumed by a woman's dress when she stoops after extending the skirts by a rapid gyration.
- noun a cake made of or filled with, a composition of soft curds, sugar, and butter.
- noun (Zoöl.) a black dipterous insect (
Piophila casei ) of which the larvæ or maggots, calledskippers orhoppers , live in cheese. - noun (Zoöl.) a minute mite (
Tryoglyhus siro ) in cheese and other articles of food. - noun a press used in making cheese, to separate the whey from the curd, and to press the curd into a mold.
- noun (Bot.) a plant of the Madder family (
Golium verum , oryellow bedstraw ), sometimes used to coagulate milk. The roots are used as a substitute for madder. - noun a vat or tub in which the curd is formed and cut or broken, in cheese making.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun slang Wealth, fame, excellence, importance.
- verb slang To stop; to refrain from.
- verb slang To
anger or irritate someone, usually in combination with "off". - verb gaming, slang To use an
unsporting tactic ; to repeatedly use an attack which isoverpowered or difficult tocounter - verb gaming To use an
unconventional ,all-in strategy to take one's opponent by surprise early in the game (especially forreal-time strategy games) - noun uncountable A
dairy product made fromcurdled orcultured milk . - noun countable Any particular variety of cheese.
- noun countable A piece of cheese, especially one moulded into a large round shape during manufacture.
- noun uncountable, colloquial That which is
melodramatic , overlyemotional , orcliché , i.e.cheesy . - noun uncountable, slang
Money . - noun countable, UK In
skittles , the roughlyovoid object that is thrown to knock down the skittles. - noun countable, slang, baseball A
fastball . - noun uncountable, slang A dangerous mixture of black tar
heroin and crushedTylenol PM tablets. The resulting powder resembles grated cheese and is snorted. - noun vulgar, slang
Smegma . - noun technology
Holed pattern ofcircuitry to decrease pattern density. - verb To prepare
curds for making cheese. - verb technology To make holes in a pattern of circuitry to decrease pattern density.
- interjection photography Said while being photographed, to give the impression of smiling.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a solid food prepared from the pressed curd of milk
- noun erect or decumbent Old World perennial with axillary clusters of rosy-purple flowers; introduced in United States
- verb wind onto a cheese
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The cheese used in the United States may be included under two leading classes, namely, _foreign cheese_ and _domestic cheese_.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume 2: Milk, Butter and Cheese; Eggs; Vegetables
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Then comes the salad and cheese, then the ices and sweets, and then _cheese savourie_ or _cheese fondu_.
Manners and Social Usages Mrs. John M. E. W. Sherwood
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In making up these recipes, it will be well to note that unless the variety of cheese is stated explicitly, use should be made of American Cheddar cheese, or, as it is often called, _American cream cheese_, or _store cheese_.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume 2: Milk, Butter and Cheese; Eggs; Vegetables
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And so it happens that some, listening to the black-throated green warbler, have brought back a report of "_Cheese, cheese, a little more cheese_."
Birds in the Bush Bradford Torrey 1877
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The Neapolitan pizza is not smothered in cheese, the sauce is sweet and the crust is appropriately crispy and chewy.
On Your Mark...Get Set...Carbo-load! Where To Eat Before Race Day Huffington Post 2010
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They include a single malt accompanied by beer and hot dogs smothered in cheese and onions — the franks in deference to my belief that politics is the most entertaining contact sport going.
Politicos on the Home Front Ralph Gardner Jr. 2010
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The spread of food is a Midwestern killing field: four kinds of Wisconsin cheese (five, if you count the breaded and fried mozzarella sticks), plus a tub of ranch dip large enough to bathe a toddler.
Election 2010: A walk on the mild side of victory (or defeat) parties Dan Zak 2010
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A cheese is flung down a hill, dozens of men chase it.
Lily Bevan: Dwyle Flunking, Cheese Rolling & Face Gurning ... Halloween Alternatives From the UK Lily Bevan 2010
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Students at Atlantic City High School were served plain cheese sandwiches for two days this week as punishment for a cellphone-coordinated food fight that broke out recently.
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This French gourmet blue cheese comes from the region of Auvergne and the cheese is made from milk of Salers and Aubrac cows.
McNamara, Turner & Dutkiewicz - The Last Realm: Book One, Dragonscarpe (Book Review) 2008
sonofgroucho commented on the word cheese
As in the
June 27, 2007
fbharjo commented on the word cheese
from persian cis-ciy "something"
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word cheese
SoG, thank you for linking to the Cheese Shop Sketch.
July 17, 2007
oroboros commented on the word cheese
See mice.
September 9, 2007
mollusque commented on the word cheese
Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.
-- Gilbert K. Chesterton, 1910, Alarms and Discursions
November 22, 2007
sionnach commented on the word cheese
But what about Ontario's Chaucer of Cheese, James McIntyre?
Ode on the Mammoth Cheese
Weight over seven thousand pounds.
We have seen thee, queen of cheese,
Lying quietly at your ease,
Gently fanned by evening breeze,
Thy fair form no flies dare seize.
All gaily dressed soon you'll go
To the great Provincial show,
To be admired by many a beau
In the city of Toronto.
Cows numerous as a swarm of bees,
Or as the leaves upon the trees,
It did require to make thee please.
And stand unrivalled, queen of cheese.
May you not receive a scar as
We have heard that Mr. Harris
Intends to to send you off as far as
The great world's show at Paris.
Of the youth beware of these,
For some of them might rudely squeeze
And bite your cheek, then songs or glees
We could not sing, oh! queen of cheese.
We'rt thou suspended from balloon,
You'd cast a shade even at noon,
Folks would think it was the moon
About to fall and crush them soon.
November 25, 2007
sionnach commented on the word cheese
That's the thing with McIntyre's poems - nobody can stop at just one:
Oxford Cheese Ode
The ancient poets ne'er did dream
That Canada was land of cream,
They ne'er imagined it could flow
In this cold land of ice and snow,
Where everything did solid freeze,
They ne'er hoped or looked for cheese.
A few years since our Oxford farms
Were nearly robbed of all their charms,
O'er cropped the weary land grew poor
And nearly barren as a moor,
But now the owners live at ease
Rejoicing in their crop of cheese.
And since they justly treat the soil,
Are well rewarded for their toil,
The land enriched by goodly cows,
Yie'ds plenty now to fill their mows,
Both wheat and barley, oats and peas
But still their greatest boast is cheese.
And you must careful fill your mows
With good provender for your cows,
And in the winter keep them warm,
Protect them safe all time from harm,
For cows do dearly love their ease,
Which doth insure best grade of cheese.
To us it is a glorious theme
To sing of milk and curds and cream,
Were it collected it could float
On its bosom, small steam boat,
Cows numerous as swarm of bees
Are milked in Oxford to make cheese.
November 25, 2007
sionnach commented on the word cheese
Dairy Ode
Our muse it doth refuse to sing
Of cheese made early in the spring,
When cows give milk from spring fodder
You cannot make a good cheddar.
The quality is often vile
Of cheese that is made in April,
Therefore we think for that reason
You should make later in the season.
Cheese making you should delay
Until about the first of May.
Then cows do feed on grassy field
And rich milk they abundant yield.
Ontario cannot compete
With the Northwest in raising wheat,
For cheaper there they it can grow
So price in future may be low.
Though this a hardship it may seem,
Rejoice that you have got the cream,
In this land of milk and honey,
Where dairy farmers do make money.
Utensils must be clean and sweet,
So cheese with first class can compete,
And daily polish up milk pans,
Take pains with vats and with milk cans.
And it is important matter
To allow no stagnant water,
But water from pure well or stream
The cow must drink to give pure cream.
Canadian breeds 'tis best to pair
With breeds from the shire of Ayr,
They thrive on our Canadian feed
And are for milking splendid breed.
Though 'gainst spring cheese some do mutter,
Yet spring milk also makes bad butter,
Then there doth arise the query
How to utilize it in the dairy.
The milk it floats in great spring flood
Though it is not so rich and good,
Let us be thankful for this stream
Of milk and also curds and cream.
All dairymen their highest aims
Should be to make the vale of Thames,
Where milk doth so abundant flow,
Dairyland of Ontario.
November 25, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word cheese
I heard on NPR recently that this word is also used to describe a new kind of inexpensive heroin that's snorted (I think--don't remember anymore) and affordable for middle schoolers. Eesh.
April 3, 2008
yarb commented on the word cheese
I read an article about cheese the drug a while back and assumed it was a hoax along the lines of cake.
April 3, 2008
hernesheir commented on the word cheese
The Top 10 British Cheese Makers?
January 24, 2009
tammanycall commented on the word cheese
Public School Slang: Dandy
April 14, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word cheese
"A dessert without cheese is like a beautiful woman with one eye." - Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, in his preface to Physiologie du goût one of the classic gastronomy texts.
September 24, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word cheese
As the proud caretaker of a gorgeous little dog with one eye, I got a bone to pick with this Brillat-Savarin dude. You tell him, from me, he can bring it.
... even though I really like cheese. (So does my dog.)
September 24, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word cheese
Should have known that fireworks would ensue over the one-eyed comment. But don't forget that one-eyed comes often with an eyepatch, and eyepatches mean pirates! Funny how even a cheese discussion can devolve to piracy, or lunacy even!
September 24, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word cheese
I wish I had a nickel for everyone who suggested I put an eyepatch on my dog and call him a scurvy cur. *sigh* Do we do this to other cancer survivors?!
Umbrage!! Umbrage, I say!
Note: see marathon of phony umbrage taking.
September 24, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word cheese
I cast no aspersions on your bubele c_b! I was a papa to a 3-legged rescue corgi dog and another corgi whose nether-region was limp, and their mistress, until recently.
September 24, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word cheese
Right, that's why it's phony umbrage. :)
Wait... "whose nether-region was limp"?? Nevermind, I probably don't want to know! :)
September 25, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word cheese
Don't mind 'splaining, c_b - the dog's was limp. That and the heart of its mistress had grown cold to me, despite a ring and a set of vows, as happens these days with altogether too much frequency. And that's all I have to say about that, as Forrest Gump would say!
September 25, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word cheese
I... uh... I knew you meant the dog. I wasn't sure what... uh... nevermind.
My dog doesn't have any balls, if that makes you feel better.
My, this conversation has taken a turn... :)
September 25, 2009
Prolagus commented on the word cheese
Added. :)
September 25, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word cheese
I feel better already!!!!
September 25, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word cheese
Now to find me a cheese to slice and savor....
September 25, 2009
frogapplause commented on the word cheese
Fortunately, Schwa Man has enough balls for everyone.
September 25, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word cheese
Hope those are cheese balls!
September 25, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word cheese
Schwa Man does, indeed, have balls.
They don't have to be cheese balls, do they? Can they be whiskey balls?
September 25, 2009
sionnach commented on the word cheese
c_b: Have you considered neuticles?
September 25, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word cheese
I consider them ridiculous. Does that count? ;) Thinking about whiskey balls makes me happy though. Mmm... whiskey balls...
Okay, I've been wondering about these tags for a couple days now. Can someone explain LGTB as a tag on the word cheese? (Note: if the answer can be found on Urban Dictionary, please don't tell me. I don't want to have nightmares.) Or public school, for heaven's sake?
September 25, 2009
bilby commented on the word cheese
Keep that dog away from the whiskey balls!
September 25, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word cheese
And, to bring this discussion almost back 'round to the word itself, let me introduce you to sheese.
September 26, 2009
thesaraheffect commented on the word cheese
I once had a rescue kitten who developed a fever so high that his nervous system was damaged so his entire hindquarters went all floppy!
He had already been emasculated, so it really didn't hurt him in the recreational realm, it just made it really sad to watch him run.
*jump-jump-flop! jump-jump-flop!*
September 26, 2009
sionnach commented on the word cheese
Reminds me of my own rescue cat, Stumpy, now sadly deceased, who was found limping along the side of the Westchester Expressway (where he had probably been thrown out of a car), minus his tail and with a broken hindpaw.
Here he is, in happier (?) days:
Stumpy in a tutu
September 26, 2009
bilby commented on the word cheese
Roughly speaking, at least half of all photographs should be titled 'Stumpy In A Tutu'.
September 26, 2009
thesaraheffect commented on the word cheese
My condolences! How we abuse the weakest creatures so freely is beyond me! My Hank, described below, sadly met his untimely end on the highway beside my parents house
"when an instrument of fate would not wait for his flopping gait."
September 26, 2009
sionnach commented on the word cheese
Roughly speaking, at least half of all photographs should be titled 'Stumpy In A Tutu'.
The problem was that, the first time I took him to the vet in Secaucus I was ashamed to admit that I had christened him 'Stumpy'. So I pretended his name was 'Sputnik'. He had an identity complex for years. When I moved to San Francisco, I saw an opportunity to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, it was not to be - the first two weeks in California, he had to be boarded at the Belmont kitty condos until my furniture arrived. Naturally, before taking him in, they required his vet records from NJ. So 'Sputnik' he had to remain, for veterinary purposes.
Let this be a lesson to all Wordies: one tiny little lie can follow you all the way across a continent. "Oh what a tangled web we weave...."
September 26, 2009
sionnach commented on the word cheese
"We'rt thou suspended from balloon,
You'd cast a shade even at noon,
Folks would think it was the moon
About to fall and crush them soon".
I'm sorry, I just have to draw attention once again to the sheer genius of these lines. I mean, what would *you* think if you saw a three-ton cheese suspended from balloon?
Sure, last night I had a brief dalliance with Donne. and I've cast a few admiring glances Herrick's way. But when I read these lines by James McIntyre, why I swan, I just swoon all over again. He's got it over that Scottish hack McGonagall any day.
September 26, 2009
reesetee commented on the word cheese
Wait--I'm still at the Secaucus comment.
October 1, 2009
madmouth commented on the word cheese
that cheese and Gs should both be AAVE colloquialisms for money is one of my favourite coincidences
November 25, 2009
sionnach commented on the word cheese
Four holy women transformed by cheese
January 2, 2010
ruzuzu commented on the word cheese
There's an iPhone app called Cheese or Font in which you are presented with a word, then you must decide whether it is, well, you know, a cheese or a font. I know it sounds easy, I mean Caslon obviously wouldn't be a cheese, but when you're faced with Alverca or Itceras, well....
January 3, 2010
reesetee commented on the word cheese
Ha! Love it.
January 4, 2010
ruzuzu commented on the word cheese
Oh! Cheese or Font is here, too. Now everyone can play.
January 4, 2010
dontcry commented on the word cheese
OMG! This is so much fun! I think I'm hooked... I suck at it, but I'm hooked!
January 4, 2010
reesetee commented on the word cheese
Heehee! I'm hooked too.
January 5, 2010
ruzuzu commented on the word cheese
Umbrage! I knew that cute cat picture over on Stumpy the cat looked familiar.
October 19, 2011
bilby commented on the word cheese
Isn't that Sputnik in the other photo?
October 19, 2011
fbharjo commented on the word cheese
Sputnik would be a propos as its meaning is "together with". (see my comment of July 2007). Say cheese please!
October 19, 2011
gulyasrobi commented on the word cheese
For cheese lovers: http://www.memrise.com/cave/?iset=cheeses (excellent picture dictionary and learning tool)
August 28, 2012
ruzuzu commented on the word cheese
"The inflated appearance of a gown or petticoat resulting from whirling round and making a low courtesy, supposed to resemble a large cheese; hence, a low courtesy."
--CD&C
March 29, 2013
yarb commented on the word cheese
#cdcwtfbbq
March 29, 2013
ruzuzu commented on the word cheese
There's more fun in the comments over on head cheese, of course.
March 29, 2013
bilby commented on the word cheese
"A corpse is meat gone bad. Well and what's cheese? Corpse of milk."
- James Joyce.
January 9, 2014
chained_bear commented on the word cheese
Re: cheese as the archetypal peasant food, see comment on dairy.
November 27, 2017