My comments:
Swiss cheese is a kind of cheese that has large holes in it. Well, not all Swiss cheeses have holes in them, but what Switzerland is famous for in the cheese department is this firm pale yellow kind, the kind with large holes therein.
Hence, the long and short of it is, Swiss cheese gets to stand for, figuratively speaking, holes, or loopholes, as in laws which allow you to avoid doing what you’re supposed to do.
Another media example (Volcker: Rule is no Swiss cheese, CityAM.com, June 22, 2010):
WHITE House economic adviser Paul Volcker has told US lawmakers they should not allow his proposed Volcker rule limiting risky trading by banks to become filled with holes.
“He has told several people, including some lawmakers, that he does not want the Volcker rule to look like Swiss cheese.”
Related stories:
Making knee-jerk changes is not in our DNA
Bury the hatchet& have an ax to grind
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About the author:
Zhang Xin(张欣) has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.