cut the cheese
"cut-the-cheese" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cut the cheese” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To fart loudly.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cut the cheese |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cut the cheese” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cut the cheese is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for cut the cheese in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is cut the cheese, spelled C-U-T- -T-H-E- -C-H-E-E-S-E.
Definition
- 1To fart loudly.
- 2Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cut, cheese.
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.
Synonyms
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "cut the cheese"?
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Using “cut the cheese”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-U-T- -T-H-E- -C-H-E-E-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.