Cheddar

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃɛdə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A hard, smooth-textured cheese originating from England ; a colloquial term for cash or currency
2. A popular cheese known for its sharp flavor and firm texture ; informal word used to refer to funds or wealth
3. A dairy product made by pressing and aging curd into a firm block ; slang referring to financial resources or earnings

Etymology: Cheddar is named for a village in Somerset, in south-west England, where cheese has been made for centuries. The place name is old, and the cheese took its name from the village rather than the other way round. The method that made the cheese famous is the one that gave it its texture. Curds are cut, stacked and turned repeatedly in a process called cheddaring, which squeezes out whey and produces the firm, smooth body the word now describes. The slang sense is far less certain. "Cheddar" meaning money or currency is generally linked to the cheese, probably through an association with cheese as a symbol of wealth. Some have proposed a connection to Persian "čiz", meaning "thing", but that remains a speculative suggestion rather than a settled origin, so the cheese-as-wealth link is the more plausible explanation.

Synonyms: cheese, cheddar cheese, mature cheddar, sharp cheddar, white cheddar