shit-eating grin
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
Possibly from a contraction of "grinning like a ’possum eating shit"[1] (compare also happy as a pig in shit); later detached from meaning and persisting due to its vividness (cf. "there are many ways to skin a cat" or "happy as a clam").
Pronunciation
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
shit-eating grin (plural shit-eating grins)
- (idiomatic, vulgar) A broad smile indicating self-awareness that may suggest self-satisfaction, smugness, discomfort, or embarrassment.
- Synonyms: coprophagous grin (rare), fish-eating grin (expurgated), simper
- Near-synonym: smirk
Usage notes
The term is ambiguous and may indicate either a genuine broad smile (e.g. smug happiness) or a fake broad smile (e.g. trying to hide or get away with something).
Quotations
- For more quotations using this term, see Citations:shit-eating grin.
Related terms
Translations
broad smile of smugness
broad smile of embarrassment
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References
- Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.
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