Korean slang profile

치팅데이

cheat day

A cheat day

A planned day during a diet when someone eats foods they have been wanting.

This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.

01Examples, with English translations

Example by Julimmal
일주일 열심히 했으니 오늘은 치팅데이야.
I've stuck to it all week, so today is my cheat day.
Quoted from a source
다이어트 시 하루 종일 기름진 음식을 과식하는 ‘치팅데이’를 갖는 다이어터가 많다.[1]
Many dieters have ‘치팅데이’, which causes them to overeat fatty foods all day while dieting.
English translation by Julimmal.

October 2017Many dieters have ‘치팅데이’, which causes them to overeat fatty foods all day while dieting.[1]
July 2019Aju Economy: “치팅데이 If you binge eat, it can put a burden on the digestive system or cause disruption of hormonal metabolism in the body due to destruction of homeostasis, which can interfere with dieting.”[2]
December 2019EToday: “It refers to a day when you eat the food you wanted to eat once every 1-2 weeks to make up for the carbohydrates you lacked during dieting.”[3]

Formed from “Cheating + Day.” The 2017 source from Segye Ilbo explicitly gives this explanation. Who first used it and when have not been verified.

Evidence for the origin explanationHigh

The explanation is explicit in the sources, and at least two sources use the same meaning. When it was first used is unknown.

Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.