Have you ever thought about how often we talk about cheese? We eat it on burgers, in sandwiches, and even on pizza. But cheese isn’t just for food—it also pops up in our language. People use fun and silly phrases called idioms that include the word “cheese.” These sayings don’t really mean what they sound like. For example, if someone says “say cheese,” they don’t want you to eat cheese—they want you to smile!
Idioms with cheese help make conversations more fun and interesting. They can tell us about feelings, actions, or funny situations. Some of these idioms have been around for a long time. In this article, you will learn 25 idioms about cheese, what they mean, and how you can use them in everyday life. Let’s dive into these cheesy sayings!
Idioms About Cheese
1. Big cheese
Meaning: An important person
Example Sentence:
• He’s the big cheese at his company.
• At school, the principal is the big cheese.
Other ways to say: Top boss, head honcho
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom started in the 1920s in the U.S. and came from the idea of something being “the best.”
Usage: Used to talk about someone in charge or someone important.
2. Say cheese
Meaning: Smile for a photo
Example Sentence:
• Before taking the picture, Mom said, “Say cheese!”
• The kids all said “cheese” and smiled for the camera.
Other ways to say: Smile, show your teeth
Fun Fact/Origin: Saying “cheese” makes your mouth form a smile.
Usage: Used when asking someone to smile for a picture.
3. Cut the cheese
Meaning: To pass gas (fart), used as a joke
Example Sentence:
• Someone cut the cheese in the car, and everyone laughed.
• We rolled the windows down because someone cut the cheese.
Other ways to say: Farted, let one out
Fun Fact/Origin: It sounds silly and uses the idea that cheese can have a strong smell.
Usage: Used in a funny way, mostly by kids.
4. Cheese it!
Meaning: Run away or hide
Example Sentence:
• “Cheese it!” the kids yelled when they heard the teacher coming.
• The boys cheesed it when the dog started barking.
Other ways to say: Run!, Hide!, Get out of here!
Fun Fact/Origin: This slang dates back to old gangster movies in the 1920s and 30s.
Usage: Used when people need to get away fast.
5. Grin like a Cheshire cat
Meaning: Smile very widely
Example Sentence:
• She grinned like a Cheshire cat after winning the contest.
• He walked in grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Other ways to say: Big smile, beaming
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the smiling cat in “Alice in Wonderland.”
Usage: Used when someone is smiling big, usually because they are happy or proud.
6. Cheesy grin
Meaning: A big, sometimes fake smile
Example Sentence:
• He gave a cheesy grin after his joke flopped.
• Her cheesy grin showed she was up to something.
Other ways to say: Fake smile, silly smile
Fun Fact/Origin: The word “cheesy” means something is silly or not real.
Usage: Used when someone smiles in a goofy or fake way.
7. Say cheese and die
Meaning: A warning or bad thing after taking a photo
Example Sentence:
• In the scary book, the camera made bad things happen—say cheese and die!
• The kids joked, “Say cheese and die!” after reading a spooky story.
Other ways to say: A spooky saying, used in fun
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase is from a Goosebumps book by R.L. Stine.
Usage: Used in scary stories or as a joke.
8. As cheesy as a pizza
Meaning: Very silly or not serious
Example Sentence:
• That movie was as cheesy as a pizza.
• His love note was as cheesy as a pizza.
Other ways to say: Corny, lame
Fun Fact/Origin: People started saying things were “cheesy” if they were overly dramatic or silly.
Usage: Used to describe something funny or too dramatic.
9. Smile like you mean it
Meaning: Give a real smile
Example Sentence:
• Don’t just say cheese—smile like you mean it!
• She smiled like she meant it after getting her award.
Other ways to say: Real smile, honest grin
Fun Fact/Origin: People often say this when someone looks like they don’t want to smile.
Usage: Used to remind someone to smile sincerely.
10. Like cheese on macaroni
Meaning: A perfect match
Example Sentence:
• They go together like cheese on macaroni.
• Peanut butter and jelly go together like cheese on macaroni.
Other ways to say: Perfect pair, meant to be
Fun Fact/Origin: Mac and cheese is a classic food combo in the U.S.
Usage: Used when two things or people fit well together.
11. Cheesed off
Meaning: Annoyed or upset
Example Sentence:
• I was cheesed off when I missed the bus.
• He was cheesed off that he didn’t get picked.
Other ways to say: Upset, mad
Fun Fact/Origin: This British idiom uses “cheesed” to mean irritated.
Usage: Used when someone is angry about something small.
12. The moon is made of green cheese
Meaning: A silly or impossible idea
Example Sentence:
• Believing the moon is made of green cheese is silly.
• Don’t believe that—it’s like thinking the moon is green cheese.
Other ways to say: Nonsense, silly idea
Fun Fact/Origin: This old saying was used to joke about believing things that aren’t true.
Usage: Used to describe silly or made-up ideas.
13. More holes than Swiss cheese
Meaning: Something full of problems or mistakes
Example Sentence:
• His story had more holes than Swiss cheese.
• That plan has more holes than Swiss cheese.
Other ways to say: Full of mistakes, weak
Fun Fact/Origin: Swiss cheese has lots of holes, so it’s used to describe things with gaps.
Usage: Used when something doesn’t make sense or is flawed.
14. Cheddar (as money slang)
Meaning: Money
Example Sentence:
• I need to earn some cheddar this summer.
• He saved up enough cheddar to buy a new bike.
Other ways to say: Cash, bucks
Fun Fact/Origin: “Cheddar” as slang for money became popular in hip-hop culture.
Usage: Used in fun or casual talk about money.
15. A cheesy joke
Meaning: A silly or bad joke
Example Sentence:
• That was such a cheesy joke—Dad must’ve told it.
• I love telling cheesy jokes at lunch.
Other ways to say: Corny, bad joke
Fun Fact/Origin: “Cheesy” is used to describe things that try too hard to be funny.
Usage: Used to talk about silly or not-funny jokes.
16. A cheesehead
Meaning: A nickname for fans of the Green Bay Packers
Example Sentence:
• He wore a cheesehead hat to the game.
• Packers fans call themselves cheeseheads.
Other ways to say: Football fan, Packers fan
Fun Fact/Origin: People wear foam cheese hats in Wisconsin to support their football team.
Usage: Used to talk about football fans from Wisconsin.
17. Hard cheese
Meaning: Bad luck
Example Sentence:
• You missed the ice cream truck? Hard cheese!
• They lost the game—hard cheese!
Other ways to say: Too bad, tough luck
Fun Fact/Origin: A British phrase meaning something unlucky.
Usage: Used when something bad happens, often as a joke.
18. Who moved my cheese?
Meaning: Things have changed
Example Sentence:
• I walked into the classroom and thought, who moved my cheese?
• Everything changed, and I felt like someone moved my cheese.
Other ways to say: What happened?, Why is this different?
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from a book about change and adjusting to it.
Usage: Used when something that was expected changes.
19. The cheese stands alone
Meaning: Someone is left out
Example Sentence:
• At lunch, he sat by himself—the cheese stands alone.
• No one picked her for dodgeball. The cheese stood alone.
Other ways to say: Alone, left out
Fun Fact/Origin: From a children’s song, “The Farmer in the Dell.”
Usage: Used to talk about someone who is left alone.
20. Like melted cheese
Meaning: Feeling warm or soft inside
Example Sentence:
• His kind words made me feel like melted cheese.
• That puppy video made me feel like melted cheese.
Other ways to say: Warm-hearted, soft feeling
Fun Fact/Origin: Melted cheese is soft and gooey—used to describe sweet emotions.
Usage: Used when something makes you feel warm inside.
21. American as apple pie and cheddar cheese
Meaning: Very American
Example Sentence:
• A baseball game and hotdogs are as American as apple pie and cheddar cheese.
• Fireworks on the Fourth of July? That’s as American as apple pie and cheddar cheese.
Other ways to say: Very American, classic
Fun Fact/Origin: Both apple pie and cheddar are favorites in the USA.
Usage: Used to describe something that feels truly American.
22. Cheese-eating surrender monkey
Meaning: A joking insult, often used in politics
Example Sentence:
• That old show called them cheese-eating surrender monkeys.
• He laughed and said, “Don’t be a cheese-eating surrender monkey.”
Other ways to say: Coward (used in jokes)
Fun Fact/Origin: First said on the cartoon “The Simpsons.”
Usage: Used in a silly or mocking way.
23. Melt like cheese
Meaning: To become weak or give in
Example Sentence:
• He melted like cheese when she smiled at him.
• I tried to say no, but I melted like cheese.
Other ways to say: Gave in, softened
Fun Fact/Origin: Melted cheese becomes soft, just like people sometimes do.
Usage: Used when someone gives in easily.
24. Cheesy pickup line
Meaning: A silly or fake compliment
Example Sentence:
• “Are you a magician? Because every time I look at you, everyone else disappears”—what a cheesy pickup line!
• He tried a cheesy pickup line and made her laugh.
Other ways to say: Corny line, lame joke
Fun Fact/Origin: Pickup lines are used to get someone’s attention romantically.
Usage: Used to describe over-the-top or silly compliments.
25. Say cheese or else
Meaning: A playful warning to smile
Example Sentence:
• “Say cheese or else!” the mom joked before taking the picture.
• “Smile for the picture—say cheese or else!”
Other ways to say: Smile now, Give me a smile
Fun Fact/Origin: A fun twist on the regular “say cheese” for photos.
Usage: Used when jokingly telling someone to smile.
Quiz: Idioms About Cheese
Instructions: Read each question and the answer choices carefully. Pick the letter that best matches the meaning of the phrase or expression.
Question Key
1. What does “big cheese” mean?
A) A tasty snack
B) A silly person
C) An important person
2. When someone says, “say cheese,” what are they asking you to do?
A) Eat cheese
B) Smile for a photo
C) Buy cheese
3. What does “cut the cheese” mean in a funny way?
A) To slice cheddar
B) To fart
C) To dance
4. If a story has “more holes than Swiss cheese,” what does that mean?
A) It’s about cheese
B) It’s hard to understand
C) It has many problems
5. What does “cheesed off” mean?
A) Very happy
B) Upset or annoyed
C) Covered in cheese
6. What does it mean when something is “as cheesy as a pizza”?
A) It’s very tasty
B) It’s silly or not serious
C) It’s about food
7. What is a “cheesehead”?
A) Someone who loves cheese
B) A football fan from Wisconsin
C) A chef in a pizza place
8. What does “who moved my cheese?” mean?
A) Someone lost their snack
B) There’s been a change
C) Someone stole a sandwich
9. What does “like cheese on macaroni” mean?
A) A great pair
B) A mess
C) Something new
10. What does “the cheese stands alone” mean?
A) Cheese tastes better by itself
B) Someone is left out
C) Someone won a prize
Answer Key
- C) An important person
- B) Smile for a photo
- B) To fart
- C) It has many problems
- B) Upset or annoyed
- B) It’s silly or not serious
- B) A football fan from Wisconsin
- B) There’s been a change
- A) A great pair
- B) Someone is left out
Wrapping Up
Cheese isn’t just for eating. People use it in funny and clever sayings, too. From calling someone the “big cheese” to saying “cut the cheese,” these idioms help us talk in creative ways. Some are silly, some are serious, and some help us laugh. Now that you know 25 cheese idioms, you can spot them in books, shows, or even your own conversations.
So next time someone says “say cheese,” you’ll know it means more than just dairy. Keep listening—you might hear a cheesy phrase when you least expect it!
