A small, boxy container made of wood or cardboard used for storing or shipping cheese; also slang for a small, cramped space.
From 'cheese' + 'box' (from Old Norse 'box'). The term became common when commercial cheese production required standardized packaging in the 1800s.
The USS Monitor, an iconic Civil War ironclad warship, was called 'a cheesebox on a raft' because of its blocky turret design—one of the best naval insults in history!
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