▁that ▁time ▁was ▁" to ▁make ▁one ▁believe ▁the ▁Moon ▁is ▁made ▁of ▁green ▁che ese " ▁( i . e ., ▁to ▁ho ax ). ▁ ▁In ▁French , ▁there ▁is ▁the ▁pro verb ▁" Il ▁ve ut ▁prendre ▁la ▁l une ▁avec ▁les ▁d ents " ▁(" He ▁wants ▁to ▁take ▁the ▁moon ▁with ▁his ▁teeth "), ▁all ud ed ▁to ▁in ▁R abel ais . ▁ ▁The ▁character ization ▁is ▁also ▁common ▁in ▁stories ▁of ▁g oth am ites , ▁including ▁the ▁Moon rak ers ▁of ▁W ilt shire , ▁who ▁were ▁said ▁to ▁have ▁taken ▁advantage ▁of ▁this ▁tro pe , ▁and ▁the ▁assumption ▁of ▁their ▁own ▁na iv ete , ▁to ▁hide ▁their ▁sm ugg ling ▁activities ▁from ▁government ▁officials . ▁ ▁Child l ore ▁and ▁popular ▁culture ▁A ▁ 1 9 0 2 ▁survey ▁of ▁child l ore ▁by ▁psych ologist ▁G . ▁Stanley ▁Hall ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁found ▁that ▁though ▁most ▁young ▁children ▁were ▁uns ure ▁of ▁the ▁Moon ' s ▁composition , ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁made ▁of ▁che ese ▁was ▁the ▁single ▁most ▁common ▁explanation : ▁ ▁Before ▁that ▁time , ▁and ▁since , ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁the ▁Moon ▁actually ▁being ▁made ▁of ▁che ese ▁has ▁appeared ▁as ▁a ▁hum orous ▁conce it ▁in ▁much ▁of ▁children ' s ▁popular ▁culture ▁with ▁astronom ical ▁them es ▁( cf . ▁the ▁Man ▁in ▁the ▁Moon ), ▁and ▁in ▁adult ▁references ▁to ▁it . ▁ ▁Popular ▁culture ▁ ▁The ▁phrase ▁is ▁the ▁title ▁of ▁a ▁book