Cheshire cat

American  

noun

1. a constantly grinning cat in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

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idioms

1. grin like a Cheshire cat, to smile or grin inscrutably.

Cheshire cat Cultural  

1. A cat with an enormous grin encountered by Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. The cat tends to disappear, leaving only its smile hanging in the air.

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Discover More

“Smiling like a Cheshire cat” refers to anyone with a conspicuous and long-lasting smile.

Example Sentences

When the conversation is flowing effortlessly about a niche show you both like, you can’t help but grin like a Cheshire cat.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2023

"The corners of his mouth split into a Cheshire cat smile. Waving a stack of documents, he moves towards me, like a wolf closing in on its prey."

From Salon • Sep. 20, 2023

Liberal Democrat smiles were sufficiently broad that party leader Sir Ed Davey was found comparing himself to a Cheshire cat.

From BBC • May 5, 2023

Out of the kitchen emerged a man in sunglasses, sporting a Cheshire cat grin and hips that swayed like a palm tree in a storm.

From New York Times • Nov. 1, 2021

Enigmatically indifferent to its surroundings, it is a kind of cosmic Cheshire cat.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan