General
cheese and kisses
What does cheese and kisses mean?
Cockney rhyming slang for 'missus', meaning wife or long-term partner. Often shortened to 'cheese'. A staple of old-school East End and pub-talk slang.
"Better get home, the cheese and kisses will be wondering where I am."
Origin
19th/20th-century London Cockney rhyming slang. Also picked up enthusiastically in Australian English, where 'cheese' for wife is still heard.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'cheese and kisses' mean?
It's Cockney rhyming slang for 'the missus,' meaning one's wife.
How do you use 'cheese and kisses' in a sentence?
"I'd best get home to the cheese and kisses before she wonders where I am."
Why does 'cheese and kisses' mean wife?
It's Cockney rhyming slang where 'kisses' rhymes with 'missus.'
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