English Explanatory Dictionary

cheek by jowl

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adv
  1. In very close physical proximity; crowded together; side by side.
  2. In very close or intimate association.
adj
  1. Often in the form cheek-by-jowl: in very close physical proximity; crowded together; tightly packed.

Pronunciation

/ˌt͡ʃiːk baɪ ˈd͡ʒaʊl/ /ˌt͡ʃik baɪ ˈd͡ʒaʊl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-cheek by jowl.wav

Word forms

cheek by jowl more cheek by jowl most cheek by jowl cheek-by-jowl cheek-to-jowl cheek to jowl

Etymology

From cheek + by + jowl (“cheek; jaw”) (or possibly jowl (“fold of fatty flesh under the chin, around the cheeks, or lower jaw; cheek”) or jowl (“(obsolete) head”)), suggesting people so close to each other that the cheek of one person is next to the jowl of another.

Synonyms

alongside cheek for chowl elbow to elbow shoulder-to-shoulder tooth-to-jowl packed like sardines

Related words

chockablock
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on C Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary