What is a ‘Swiss Cheese Argument’?

And how does it relate to the phrases ‘Hold Water’ and ‘Watertight’?

We will start with the phrase — Hold water.

If a theory or an idea holds water, it means it is logical and plausible; it is verifiable and supported by facts; it can stand up to critical examination; it is sound and valid.

This expression is a metaphor for a container that does not have any holes in it, therefore it doesn’t leak water.

Holes in a container are equivalent to errors or gaps in reasoning. Thus, if an argument or a theory holds water, it has no flaws or gaps.

Another term with the same analogy is watertight. Just like a watertight container won’t leak any water, a watertight argument does not have any flaws or loopholes. It is defendable against scrutiny. It cannot be refuted.

We have one more expression in the English language from the same metaphoric element and that is the ‘Swiss cheese argument’.

A block of Swiss cheese has a lot of holes. So, a Swiss cheese argument is one that is filled with gaps or flaws in reasoning.

Let’s see an example —

“His story doesn’t hold water if you look at the statements given by other witnesses. He is lying on oath.”

It means that his story is false and inconsistent. He is lying on oath as is clear from the statements given by other witnesses.

There is one more phrase where the word ‘holes’ is used as a metaphor for ‘flaws’ or ‘faults.’ That phrase is — Pick holes in something.

To pick holes in something means to find faults or imperfections in something through excessive analysis or criticism.

For example —

“No matter how much effort I put into designing the website, my boss always picks holes in it and suggests one more thing to work upon.”

I hope the example is self-explanatory.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.