Meaning & Analysis
The proverb literally describes an act of convincing a naive person of a patently absurd falsehood: that the Moon is a wheel of 'green' (meaning new and unaged, not the color) cheese, based on its pale, cratered appearance.
Insights
Gullibility and Naivety
The proverb is a powerful metaphor for extreme gullibility and the act of deception. It is used to characterize someone who is so naive they would believe anything, no matter how illogical or contrary to evidence.
Benchmark for Absurdity
It serves as a benchmark for an absurd or blatant lie. To 'believe the moon is made of green cheese' is to accept a falsehood of the highest order, making it a standard against which other lies and conspiracy theories can be measured.
Manipulation and Contempt
The saying can symbolize the act of manipulation or gaslighting. The deceiver shows contempt for the victim's intelligence by asserting an obvious untruth, attempting to undermine their perception of reality and common sense.
Folk Astronomy and Juxtaposition
The proverb's humor derives from the juxtaposition of a celestial, mysterious object (the moon) with a mundane, domestic one (cheese). This reflects a pre-scientific, folk-astronomy perspective where the unknown was explained through familiar, everyday objects, highlighting the rustic origins of the saying.
Historical Linguistics
The term 'green' historically meant 'new' or 'unripened', not the color green. A 'green cheese' was a fresh, young wheel of cheese, whose mottled, uneven surface might vaguely resemble the cratered face of the moon. This linguistic detail is crucial to understanding the proverb's original imagery.
Psychology of Belief and Deception
The expression serves as a psychological benchmark for gullibility. It explores the power dynamics of belief, where one person's charisma or authority can override another's common sense, making them susceptible to even the most ludicrous assertions. It speaks to the fragility of critical thinking in the face of confident deception.
Rhetorical Devices
Hyperbole
The statement is a classic example of hyperbole, wildly exaggerating a person's gullibility or the absurdity of a claim to create a memorable and impactful statement.
Absurdist Imagery
The power of the proverb lies in its vivid and comical imagery, contrasting the celestial moon with a mundane wheel of cheese. This absurd visual makes the idea of such foolishness easy to remember and deploy.
Idiom
The phrase functions as a cultural idiom for foolishness. Its meaning is instantly understood not for its literal content but for its shared cultural significance as a symbol of utter credulity.
Transcription
Quotations
They wold make men beleve . . that the moone is made of a grene chese.
I make hym byleve the moone is made of a calves skynne.
He . . made his frendes beleue the moone to be made of a grene chese.
Ye fet circum-quaques to make me beleeue Or thynke, that the moone is made of a grene chese.
To beliue and saye the moune is made of a grene chese.
They make them beleeve . . that the Moone is made of a greene Cheese.
(He wil gar a man trow that).
He makes us beleve the moone is made of a greene cheese.
It is not meet that men should be persuaded, that the moon is mad of green cheese.
Some men thinke the moone's made of greene cheese.
The Moone is made of greene cheese.
Make me beleeue the moone is made of greene cheese.
(You will make me believe that).
(To make one believe any thing, that).
Tell me the moon is made of green cheese.
Cross References
- See St., no. 1200.
- S995 When two Sundays come together.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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