cheek by jowl


Situated side by side or in close contact: “The commuters were packed in the subway cheek by jowl.”

Words Nearby cheek by jowl

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

How to use cheek by jowl in a sentence

  • This would be cheek-by-jowl with a bet that an heir would be born to one new-married pair before another pair.

  • Though welcomed by the peer, they showed no signs of superciliousness when they found themselves cheek-by-jowl with the pauper.

    The Book of Christmas | Thomas K. Hervey
  • Let us show her an example of humility, sister, though we have been sitting cheek-by-jowl in such company.'

    Wives and Daughters | Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
  • He crawled in upon all-fours, and soon found himself cheek-by-jowl with a pair of young eagles!

  • They were no doubt sitting cheek-by-jowl when pussy made the spring.

    Cats | W. Gordon Stables

Other Idioms and Phrases with cheek by jowl

cheek by jowl

Side by side, close together, as in In that crowded subway car we stood cheek by jowl, virtually holding one another up. This term dates from the 16th century, when it replaced cheek by cheek.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.