cut the cheese

C

cut the cheese (euphemistic idiom)
/ kʌt ðə tʃiːz /

Meanings

• To fart or pass gas in a humorous or informal way.
• To cause embarrassment by farting in public or in an awkward situation.
• To fart loudly in public, possibly causing embarrassment.

Synonyms: fart; pass gas; let one rip; break wind; cut one.

Example Sentences

1. During the office meeting, John cut the cheese by accident, and everyone pretended not to notice the smell.
2. At the crowded elevator, Sarah was embarrassed when she cut the cheese, causing people to giggle awkwardly.

Origin and History

The idiom “cut the cheese” is a colloquial expression in English, primarily used to euphemistically describe the act of flatulence. This phrase has permeated informal American speech, often invoked humorously to attribute or acknowledge the release of intestinal gas in social settings. Its playful yet crude nature reflects broader linguistic traditions of veiling bodily functions through metaphor and wordplay. Understanding its origins requires examining both the semantic evolution of related terms and the cultural contexts that fostered such expressions.

Etymological Theories

Several theories explain the etymology of “cut the cheese.” One prominent hypothesis links the phrase to the literal act of slicing certain pungent cheeses, such as those with soft rinds like Brie or Limburger, which release a strong, unpleasant odor upon cutting. This sensory parallel to the smell of flatulence makes the metaphor apt, transforming a mundane culinary action into a symbol for an embarrassing bodily emission.

Another theory posits rhyming slang origins, suggesting “cut the cheesetart” as a playful circumlocution for “fart,” a common mechanism in English slang for avoiding direct vulgarity.

Additionally, the phrase may derive from the broader historical use of “cut” to denote expelling gas, as seen in earlier expressions like “cut a melon” or “cut mud” from the late nineteenth century. These theories collectively underscore the idiom’s roots in sensory association and linguistic creativity.

Historical Development

The history of “cut the cheese” is intertwined with the evolution of flatulence euphemisms in English slang. Since the late 1800s, the verb “cut” has appeared in various phrases signifying the release of intestinal gas, with documented examples including “to cut one’s finger” meaning “to break wind” as early as 1899. This semantic field expanded in the twentieth century, particularly in American vernacular, where playful and regional variations proliferated. Oral usage of “cut the cheese” emerged in the 1950s, reflecting post-World War II cultural shifts toward irreverent humor in youth and working-class speech. By the mid-1960s, the phrase gained traction in informal contexts, eventually entering broader popular culture through literature and media.

Geographical Origin

The idiom cut the cheese originated in the United States and first appeared in mid-twentieth-century American slang. It has no equivalent early attestations in British or other English-speaking regions. The expression reflects the informal, youth-oriented culture that flourished in the diverse linguistic landscape of postwar America. Although the phrase has since spread to other English-speaking countries through media and migration, its core development remains firmly rooted in U.S. cultural idioms.

Earliest Printed Record

The earliest printed record of “cut the cheese” in its modern sense appears in 1970, within the anthology The Age of Rock 2: Sights & Sounds of the American Cultural Revolution, edited by Jonathan Eisen and published by Random House in New York. In an essay titled “The Fifties” by H. Junker, the phrase is used in a nostalgic recounting of 1950s slang, with the quotation:

“Who cut the cheese? […] he who smelt it dealt it.”

This citation, evoking a schoolyard rhyme about flatulence, illustrates the idiom’s playful deployment and provides the first documented textual evidence, predating later widespread usage in popular literature.

Variants

1. pass gas
2. let one rip
3. break wind
4. cut one

Funny