Dictionary definition of “cheese cutter”

cheese cutter

n. especially among motorcyclists, a roadway guard rail made of cable, rope, or high-tension wire. Subjects: English, Automobiles & Transportation, Slang

Editorial Note: Also, occasionally, cheese wires.

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Citations: 1996 [nightjar] Usenet: uk.transport (Sept. 22) “Re: Stick & Rope crash barriers”: In view of the poor reputation which I recall for the two wire system from the 1960s, I suspect this has more to do with the improved quality of protection in modern cars.…Most modern cars have a passenger cage, which should resist the cheese cutter effect much better. 1999 Brent Davison Newcastle Herald (Australia) (Jan. 2) “Winners & Losers” p. 29: The NSW State Government for installing motorcycle rider-unfriendly “cheese cutter” wire cable fencing on our highways. 2002 Motorcyle Riders Foundation (Washington, D.C.) (Feb.) “Making Crash Barriers and Road Maintenance Practices Motorcycle-Friendly”: Study existing crash barrier designs in the United States to identify those most hazardous to motorcyclists (e.g., “cheese cutter” cable runs) to prioritize those systems for replacement. 2002 Steve Sellers @ South Arm Hobart Mercury (Australia) (Feb. 21) “Wire barriers” p. 18: Your recent photo of the vehicle that mounted the dividing strip and wire-rope barriers…is a graphic demonstration of the incorrect and dangerous practices that Transport Tasmania follows when installing these controversial cheap “cheese cutter” barriers. 2003 Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland) (Dec. 17) “By-Pass Risk To Bikers” p. 50: This type of barrier is known as a human scale “cheese cutter” and has been identified by the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA) as the worst possible choice from a motorcyclist’s perspective. 2005 Pierrette J. Shields Daily Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.) (June 12) “Road to Safety”: Some motorcyclists are wary of the tensioned wires in the new guardrails. “In the motorcycle world, in our vernacular, we call those cheese cutters.…They could have a guillotine effect on a motorcyclist’s body.”

Posted 16 Jun 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend