[Ads-l] "big cheese" 1815

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Interesting topic, Stanton. As Ben mentions, the OED presents an 1899
citation for "the main cheese". Here is an 1897 citation employing
non-standard spelling:

Date: January 11, 1897
Newspaper: The St. Joseph Daily News
Newspaper Location: St. Joseph, Missouri
Article: Tales of the Town
Quote Page 4, Column 4
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/image/558924389/?terms=%22main%20cheese%22&match=1

[Begin excerpt]
How's a feller to eat two hashes when he ain't got dough enough fur
one? I goes into a hotel de udder day an' tells de main cheese dat
I'se a race horse owner, and den I eats till I'se blue in de face.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Mon, May 29, 2023 at 7:54 AM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 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
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org