Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. verbal insolence.

1834		News (London) 15 Nov. 383: The first defendant [...] nudged his fellow-sufferer, urged him to give plenty of ‘cheek,’ and to speak out like a man.
1840		Marryat Poor Jack 158: The man, who was a sulky, saucy sort of chap, and no seaman, I’ve a notion, gives cheek.
1847		[A. Harris] (con. 1820s) Settlers & Convicts 249: She had been giving her mistress what they here technically term ‘cheek,’ and was sentenced so some months’ confinement.
1848		J. Mitchell Jail Journal July 20 n.p.: I once asked... what fault a man had committed who was flogged... ‘For giving cheek, sir’ [M.] [F&H].
1850		Lloyd’s Wkly Newspaper 16 June 1/1: In the flash phraseology of the day, [a fellow] is said to have plenty of ‘cheek’.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1869		Eve. Teleg. (Philadelphia, PA) 13 Nov. 4/2: ‘Cheek’ is a talent [...] Confience is most usually put under the head of ‘cheek’ [...] ‘Cheek’ never made Astor, Peabody or Girard the men they were.
1872		G.P. Burnham Memoirs of the US Secret Service 334: ‘Easy Roberts,’ with his sanctimonious ‘cheek,’ and whining show of piety.
1880		Bulletin (Sydney) 16 Oct. 9/4: That valuable article known to us low-bred colonials as ‘cheek’.
1880		W. Hooe Sharping London 34: Cheek, sauce or impudence.
1881		Dodge City Times (KS) 20 Oct. 1/4: No my son, cheek is not better than wisdom [...] Cheek never deceives the world.
1890		Bird o’ Freedom 22 Jan. 1: ‘Like their cheek,’ sniffed Mrs. Jerker, who prides herself on her chaste English.
1920		Marvel 8 May 4: Don’t give me any of your cheek, or I’ll thrash you with my leather belt!
1930		D. Mackail Young Livingstones 89: ‘Absolute cheek,’ said the young Mr. Livingstone.
1937		R. Westerby Wide Boys Never Work (1938) 22: Cheek! She felt her face glowing red.
1961		‘Frank Richards’ Billy Bunter at Butlins 54: I said I don’t want any cheek!
1977		in K. Gilbert Living Black 288: You know, in a way my husband is boss. I give him cheek, I know when to shut up or I get slapped down.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 42: Mum whacked me for cheek.

2. audacity, impudence; esp. in phr. have the cheek (to), to dare, to have the nerve (to do something).

1857		Trollope Three Clerks (1869) 519: Undy Scott [...] possessed an enormous quantity of that which schoolboys in these days call ‘cheek’.
1863		letter in Sydney Morn. Herald 7 Aug. 2/4: Cheek [...] is a rare union of fun, impudence, readiness, perseverance, and intelligence, endowing its possessor with the power of walking quietly over social obstacles.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 115/1: You’ve got a great sight of ‘cheek’ about you, anyway.
1872		in ‘Mark Twain’ Life on the Mississippi (1914) 459: [as spelt] ‘i hadn’t got cheak enough to stand that sort of talk, so i left her in a hurry.’.
1887		Bulletin (Sydney) 5 Nov. 18/2: Parkes travels on his hair. High-church parson’s don’t. They travel on their expansive cheek.
1888–94		‘Walter’ My Secret Life (1966) IX 1739: Here I often don’t get enough to eat. — Liz says I haven’t got cheek.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 16: Cheek, impudence.
1896		Ade Artie (1963) 81: Just to show the cheek of that boy, the fellow that he had come over and introduce him I never saw before in all my life.
1900		Boy’s Own Paper 15 Dec. 164: Well, you chaps have got cheek! Fancy coolly staying upstairs smoking, instead of coming into prep!
1910		Magnet 27 Aug. 2: We’ve decided to give you a jolly good bumping for your fearful cheek.
1925		S. O’Casey Juno and the Paycock Act III: Well, I like your damn cheek!
1937		E. Garnett Family from One End Street 132: What a cheek – walking in like that!
1944		L. Glassop We Were the Rats 32: What a cheek I had!
1958		A. Sillitoe Sat. Night and Sun. Morning 128: I wouldn’t have the cheek to keep on staring.
1965		E. Bond Saved Scene v: Yer bloody lunatic! Bleedin’ cheek!
1979		A. Payne ‘The Dessert Song’ Minder [TV script] 29: Scruffy! Bleeding cheek ...
1982		Beano 20 Nov. 13: What a cheek!
1989		R. Dahl Rhyme Stew (1990) 74: The djinn was stunned. He could not speak. / At last he said, ‘You’ve got some cheek!’.
1999		Observer Mag. 12 Sept. 28: You’ve got a bloody cheek coming here.
2001		K. Waterhouse Soho 82: I know this is a bit of a cheek, but I don’t suppose you could lend me a tenner.

3. an audacious, forward person.

1913

C. Mackenzie Sinister Street I 169: He flung his arms round Dora [...] and in his confusion kissed very roughly the tilted tip of her nose. ‘Oh, you cheek!’ she gasped.