Say "cheese" 茄子, astute, outdated equipment

Planning to fight Russia and being prepared to do so are two different things. Read why the British Army desperately needs investment: https://econ.st/3uEFsT2

Credit: UK MOD Crown copyright

 

A toddler "saying cheese" for a photo. Say "cheese" is an instruction used by photographers who want their subject to smile. By saying "cheese", most people form their mouths into what appears to be a smile-like shape.
In China, the word used is 茄子 (qie2zi), meaning "eggplant."

IT WAS the first time in several years that a chancellor of the exchequer did not have to reveal more bad news about Britain’s finances. On March 21st, when George Osborne delivered his third budget, the official forecasts for the economy and public borrowing were barely changed. And Mr Osborne offered little in the way of direct stimulus to the economy. His budget gave away a few billion but will eventually raise as much through other measures. Yet through a handful of astute tweaks to the tax system, coupled with an “unwavering” commitment to cutting the deficit, the chancellor tried to send a strong signal that Britain is a profitable place to invest.

astute[as・tute]

 

• レベル：社会人必須
• 発音記号[əstjúːt | -tjúːt]
 

[形]((文))〈人・判断・行為が〉洞察力のある；明敏な, 機敏な, 抜け目ない, 巧妙な

an astute merchandising program
抜け目のない販売計画.

as・tute・ly

[副]洞察鋭く.

as・tute・ness

[名][U]機敏；巧妙.

---

Say cheese

Meaning

A photographer's instruction just before taking a picture, in order to make people smile.

Origin

'Say cheese!' must have been said to people posing for photographs as often as 'watch the birdie!'. Articulating a long 'e' sound requires us to draw back our lips and bare our teeth in a grimace, which is the obvious reason for photographers using it. The question is though - why cheese and not some other word? (and, come to that, why birdie? - but more on that later).

Despite exhaustive etymological delving, no one has found any literal link between 'say cheese' and meaning of the word cheese. Some have suggested that it relates to the now rather archaic term 'cheese it', meaning 'run away'. That's pure speculation and in any case; why would a photographer just about to take someone's picture encourage them to run away? However, looking up this phrase did uncover a nice punning definition of 'cheese it' in the Indiana Weekly Messenger, October 1910:

"What do boys mean when they say 'cheese it?'"
"It means that something mischievous has a curd and they want to get a whey."

Nor is 'say cheese' anything to do with the American expression 'cutting the cheese' about which, if you haven't come across it before, I'll happily leave you in ignorance.

We may not know why 'cheese' was chosen over alternatives like 'breeze' or 'please', but I can give a pointer to who first used the word when having a photograph taken. The earliest printed records of the expression are from the 1940s, in particular, this piece from the Texas newspaper The Big Spring Daily Herald, October 1943, titled Need To Put On A Smile? Here's How: Say 'Cheese':

Now here's something worth knowing. It's a formula for smiling when you have your picture taken. It comes from former Ambassador Joseph E. Davies and is guaranteed to make you look pleasant no matter what you're thinking. Mr. Davies disclosed the formula while having his own picture taken on the set of his "Mission to Moscow." It's simple. Just say "Cheese," It's an automatic smile. "I learned that from a politician," Mr. Davies chuckled. "An astute politician, a very great politician. But, of course, I cannot tell you who he was..."

Ambassador Davies looked every inch the politician who took his own advice. His coy 'I cannot tell you who it was' was no doubt delivered with a wink, as Davies served under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who fits his description perfectly well, as listeners in 1940s America would have been well aware.

The fact that the newspaper report presented Davies' recipe as a novelty that its readers would previously be unfamiliar with does suggest that the phrase can't be much earlier than 1943 in origin. It's also reasonable to speculate that Roosevelt was the original source.

Photographers these days often prefer to use 'Say, one, two, three', as it produces the same grins and makes sure that all the sitters smile at the same time. While it appears that virtually any 'long e' word could have been chosen instead, 'cheese' has stood the test of time and has resulted in a new adjective - 'cheesy'. People began to speak of 'cheesy grins' or 'cheesy smiles', as demonstrated by Ambassador Davies, in the 1960s. The word 'cheesy', meaning 'vulgar'/'tasteless', derives from the perceived insincerity of cheesy grins.

As for 'watch the birdie', this now outdated instruction, usually given to children to get them to face in the right direction for a photographic portrait, unlike 'say cheese', did refer to an actual object. The 'birdies' were animated props that could be made to squawk or warble and so attract a child's attention.

---

Please note: There won't be a Phrase-A-Week next week - I'm moving house and won't have Internet access for a while.

---

The Phrase A Week newsletter goes to 120,500 subscribers (90,000 by e-mail, 30,500 by RSS feed).

Like or Tweet this message via www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/say-cheese.html