Etymology Journal ยท C
Cheese and mice!
Meaning
- A silly, nonsensical exclamation used when someone is surprised or mildly annoyed. It is typically used in jest to avoid saying anything offensive.
Goofy, lighthearted
Used in a sentence
- Cheese and mice, look at the size of that spider!
- Cheese and mice, I totally forgot today was your birthday.
- Oh cheese and mice, let's just start over.
The backstory
Likely a playful variation or nursery rhyme corruption of other food-based euphemisms. It is not an ancient idiom but rather a bit of family-friendly slang used to be funny.
Heard in
Midwest
Vibe check