cut the cheese

English

Etymology

This idiom references the foul smell emitted by some cheeses, many of which have a rind that keeps the odor in. Once the rind is pierced, as in the case of slicing it, the smell is released.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

cut the cheese (third-person singular simple present cuts the cheese, present participle cutting the cheese, simple past and past participle cut the cheese)

1. (Canada, US, euphemistic, idiomatic, slang) To fart (flatulate) extremely noisily.

   I cannot believe that you cut the cheese at the dinner table!

   • 1991, Hal Shymkus, Nightcrawlers, Bait, and Beer to Go, page 82:

     You know, did you cut some cheese? Did you fart?

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cut,‎ cheese.

Synonyms

• break wind
• fart
• flatulate
• pass gas
• trump
• See also Thesaurus:flatulate

Translations

to flatulate

• French: coupe fromage
• Jamaican Creole: buss a poop
• Spanish: cortar el queso

See also

• he who smelt it dealt it
• cheeser

References

• cut the cheese in the Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.