Idiom
shit-eating grin
Vulgar
Meaning
A broad smile indicating self-awareness that may suggest self-satisfaction, smugness, discomfort, or embarrassment.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He had a huge shit-eating grin after winning the game.”
“You have a shit-eating grin because you know a secret.”
“My friend wears a shit-eating grin after he tells a terrible joke.”
“She wore a classic shit-eating grin when she realized her prank had actually worked on her brother.”
“When the manager finally admitted that I was right all along, I couldn't help but flash a shit-eating grin at my coworkers.”
“He stands there with a shit-eating grin, trying to look innocent even though he just broke the most expensive vase in the house.”
“Despite the gravity of the situation, he could not suppress a shit-eating grin, clearly enjoying the discomfort he had caused his rivals.”
Examples
simple
“He had a huge shit-eating grin after winning the game.”
“You have a shit-eating grin because you know a secret.”
“My friend wears a shit-eating grin after he tells a terrible joke.”
contextual
“She wore a classic shit-eating grin when she realized her prank had actually worked on her brother.”
“When the manager finally admitted that I was right all along, I couldn't help but flash a shit-eating grin at my coworkers.”
“He stands there with a shit-eating grin, trying to look innocent even though he just broke the most expensive vase in the house.”
complex
“Despite the gravity of the situation, he could not suppress a shit-eating grin, clearly enjoying the discomfort he had caused his rivals.”
Origin
Possibly from a contraction of "grinning like a ’possum eating shit" (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").
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated