# origin of "say cheese"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-say-cheese/263975>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 11, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-say-cheese/263975 "2004-09-11T00:20:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schwartz)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-say-cheese/263975/1 "2004-09-11T00:20:46Z")

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does anyone out there know where the term “say cheese” for a photograph came from?  
checking linguistics and phraseology sites yeilded the question asked several times,but no answer.  
yeah, I know why they say it but who said it first?

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-say-cheese/263975/2 "2004-09-11T04:35:29Z")

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It’s cited by the OED as early as 1930. I think it was the invention of photographers, as was the earlier “Watch the Dickie Bird(1901).”