[Ads-l] "big cheese" 1815

[Ben Zimmer]

On Mon, May 29, 2023 at 3:28 AM Stanton McCandlish <smccandlish at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I had no idea this expression was so old.
>
> "I did a reel in the [Scottish Highland] Garb at the Highland Society of
> London in 1793. Some parvenus seek to share my honour as a Big Highland
> Cheese".
>
> William Farquharson of Monaltrie, quoted in: Armstrong, Fiona Kathryne (31
> August 2017). "Highlandism: Its value to Scotland and how a queen and two
> aristocratic women promoted the phenomenon in the Victorian age" (PhD
> thesis). University of Strathclyde. doi:10.48730/2m47-md74.
> https://stax.strath.ac.uk/concern/theses/j098zb08p - retrieved 28 May
> 2023.
> p. 22
>
> The author's own footnote for this is a bit cryptic:
> Appendix E: SRO/GD1/53/112, December 8th 1815, *op cit.*
>
> I looked back through previous pages but didn't find what the *op. cit.*
> referred to.
>

The "op. cit." apparently refers back to footnote 38 on p. 5 of the thesis,
which gives the full citation as:

"Appendix E: SRO/GD1/53/112 - 8th December 1815, Farquharson of Monaltrie
to David Stewart of Garth."

In Appendix E (p. 364), the bibliographic information is given as:

---
Appendix E - National Archives of Scotland, Scottish Records Office
H.M. General Register House,
2, Princes Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3YY
(SRO)
Alexander Robertson of Struan: Stewart of Garth Transcripts
Note: some of these are duplicated and held in the Stirling Archives
(MacGregor of MacGregor). See also:
jamesirvinerobertson.co.uk/DavidStewartofGarthCorrespondence.pdf
[...]
SRO/GD1/53/112 - 8th December 1815 - Farquharson of Monaltrie to David
Stewart of Garth - about being a “Big Highland Cheese.”
---

The link to the PDF is archived here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20160820011359/https://jamesirvinerobertson.co.uk/DavidStewartofGarthCorrespondence.pdf

The transcript of the relevant letter reads:

---
8.12.15 Ballater Hse. From Wm Farquharson of Monaltrie. I've sent my seal
and my tartan sample I'll give to you in Edinburgh. Nobody's prouder than
me to be a Highlander particularly since Waterloo. I'd love to sign the
address. I'm a constituent member of the Highland Soc for Scotland. My
seal's 180 yrs old. We're the oldest clan name. My writing room is
furnished in Farquharson tartan. I did a real in the Garb at the Highland
Soc of London in 1793. Some parvenus seek to share my honour as a Big
Highland Cheese. I'm starting a masonic lodge here.
---

It's hard to tell what connection, if any, this has to "big cheese" as
attested in U.S. sources in the early 20th century. Michael Quinion has
this 1912 cite:

---
https://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-big1.htm
Roosevelt looks like the big cheese. He stands at the head of every
preempted party and if the greatest care is not exercised a vote will be
cast for him regardless of whether it is the intention or not.
Daily Independent, Monessen, Pennsylvania, 30 October, 1912.
---

Link on NewspaperArchive:
https://newspaperarchive.com/monessen-daily-independent-oct-30-1912-p-1/

OED3 gives this earlier example of "main cheese" (s.v. _cheese_ n.1, 7a:
"An important or self-important person; a boss or chief"):

---
1899   Lima (Ohio) News 10 Nov.   The fellow that she wuz stuck on was the
main cheese of the play. He was 'it'--the real hero.
---

OED3 further suggests this punning use of "cheese" may be related (s.v.
_cheese_ n.2: "With _the_. The right, correct, or best thing; something
first-rate, genuine, or exemplary"):

---
1882   N.Y. Commerc. Advertiser 11 Mar. 3/1   There is a paper published in
Florida called the ‘Cracker’. We presume its editor is the cheese.
---

The earliest OED cite for "(the) cheese" (presumably from Urdu/Persian
_cīz_ "thing, thing of value") is:

---
1840   H. D. Miles Dick Turpin xxi. 251   Skewer the jigger.., carn't
yer... Slog her Nan; that's the cheese.
---

--bgz

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