like cheese at fourpence
Of a person: waiting idly or timewasting.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Stop standing there like cheese at fourpence and help me.”
“He sits there like cheese at fourpence while I do all the heavy lifting.”
“Don't just wait by the door like cheese at fourpence; come inside and sit.”
“The manager grew annoyed when he found his staff standing around like cheese at fourpence instead of working.”
“You cannot just sit there like cheese at fourpence while your roommates are busy cleaning the entire kitchen after the party.”
“The new intern stood by the printer like cheese at fourpence because she did not know how to start her first task.”
“While the rest of the team labored under the deadline, he remained in the corner like cheese at fourpence, offering no assistance.”
Derived from the mill towns of Lancashire, the expression draws upon a period when fourpence was considered a prohibitively high price for cheese. At such a cost, the product would remain unsold and untouched on the counter, leading to the phrase's association with objects or persons that are avoided or ignored.
- 01
a little bit of bread and no cheese
Used to represent the song of the yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella).
- 02
and the like
And other similar items; et cetera.
- 03
be like
To say.
- 04
big cheese
A very important figure, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.
- 05
built like a brick outhouse
Synonym of built like a brick shithouse.
- 06
built like a brick shipyard
Synonym of built like a brick shithouse.
- 07
built like a brick shithouse
Of a man, having a muscular body, particularly with well-developed muscles of the chest, arms and abdominals.
- 08
chalk and cheese
Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike.
Last updated August 10, 2026