American informal shortening of 'macaroni and cheese', covering everything from the boxed Kraft variety to elaborate artisan restaurant preparations. In the US it is comfort food with near-universal recognition, associated with childhood, budget cooking, and uncomplicated pleasure. The phrase is so embedded in American food vocabulary that 'mac and cheese' is simply the default name in everyday contexts. Even upscale restaurants have a version on the menu these days.
She made a giant pot of mac and cheese for the potluck, and it was gone before anything else.
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The beloved American comfort food shorthand for macaroni and cheese — elbow pasta in a creamy, often intensely orange cheese sauce. Mac and cheese spans the full class spectrum, from the iconic blue Kraft box that defined childhoods to gourmet restaurant versions loaded with truffle and gruyère. As slang and food culture shorthand, it's become a cultural reference point for nostalgia, comfort, and unpretentious eating.
After a brutal week, all I wanted was a huge bowl of mac and cheese straight from the pot.
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(US, informal) macaroni and cheese.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.