grin



coprophagous grin

A smug, self-satisfied, or overly pleased smile, especially one that (intentionally or unintentionally) irritates others. A humorous literalization of the phrase "shit-eating grin" (where coprophagia, or coprophagy, means the ingestion of feces). She's been walking around with that coprophagous grin on her face ever since she found out she got into Harvard.
See also: grin

fish-eating grin

A smug, self-satisfied, or overly pleased smile, especially one that (intentionally or unintentionally) irritates others. She's been walking around with that fish-eating grin on her face ever since she found out she got into Harvard.
See also: grin

pie-eating grin

A smug, self-satisfied, or overly pleased smile, especially one that (intentionally or unintentionally) irritates others. She's been walking around with that pie-eating grin on her face ever since she found out she got into Harvard.
See also: grin

plastic grin

A forced, artificial smile; a smile someone wears despite having no feelings of happiness or joy. John seemed fine at first glance, but before long I could tell that he was wearing a plastic grin and that something was bothering him. Look at his big plastic grin—he's such a con man! I sure hope he doesn't win the election.
See also: grin, plastic

grin like a Cheshire cat

To smile smugly or mischievously. The term was popularized by the character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I knew he had a prank planned for April Fools' Day when he arrived at work grinning like a Cheshire cat.
See also: cat, Cheshire, grin, like

shit-eating grin

rude slang A facial expression denoting arrogance, smugness, or self-satisfaction. Primarily heard in US. I really wanted to wipe that shit-eating grin off his face after he won the poker game.
See also: grin

grin and bear it

Fig. to endure something unpleasant in good humor. There is nothing you can do but grin and bear it. I hate having to work for rude people. I guess I have to grin and bear it.
See also: and, bear, grin

grin at someone or something

 
1. to smile a beaming smile at someone or something. The entire class grinned at the camera. I grinned at her and she turned away quickly. 2. to smile a beaming smile at the thought of, or mental picture of, someone or something. He grinned at the thought of his coming home to his family. He grinned at her as she gazed upon the diamond ring he had given her.
See also: grin

grin from ear to ear

Fig. to smile a very wide, beaming smile. She was grinning from ear to ear as she accepted the prize. We knew Timmy was happy because he was grinning from ear to ear.
See also: ear, grin

grin from ear to ear

also smile from ear to ear
to give a very big smile He was grinning from ear to ear, as if he had just won the lottery.
See also: ear, grin

grin and bear it

to accept something unpleasant with good humor Bad things happen and you just have to learn to grin and bear it.
See also: and, bear, grin

grin/smile from ear to ear

to look extremely happy (usually in continuous tenses) We've had a fantastic response,' he said, grinning from ear to ear.
See also: ear, grin

a grin like a Cheshire cat

a very wide smile
Usage notes: The Cheshire cat is a character in Lewis Carroll's book Alice in Wonderland and is famous for its big smile.
I just presumed he'd got the job because he walked in here with a grin like a Cheshire cat.
See also: cat, Cheshire, grin, like

grin and bear it

to accept an unpleasant or difficult situation because there is nothing you can do to improve it I don't want to spend the whole weekend working but I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it.
See grin from ear to ear
See also: and, bear, grin

a shit-eating grin

  (American taboo)
a look of extreme satisfaction on someone's face that is annoying to other people who are less happy Ever since she heard they'd won she's been sitting there with that shit-eating grin on her face.
See also: grin

grin and bear it

Put up good-humoredly with adversity, with good humor, as in It's no fun being sick for the holidays, but you might as well grin and bear it. Also put as grin and abide in the 19th century, this expression became so well known that Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911) made a pun on it in his poem, "The Firm of Grin and Barrett": "Never yet was any panic Scared the firm of Grin and Barrett."
See also: and, bear, grin

grin like a Cheshire cat

Smile broadly, especially in a self-satisfied way. For example, John ended the set with a beautiful serve, an ace, and couldn't help grinning like a Cheshire cat . The ultimate origin of this expression, appearing in print since the late 1700s, is disputed, but its most famous exponent was Lewis Carroll, in whose Alice's Adventures in Wonderland the grinning cat gradually vanished from view, with its grin the last part to vanish.
See also: cat, Cheshire, grin, like

big fat grin

and BFG
phr. & comp. abb. I’m smiling while I write this. Just kidding! BFG.
See also: big, fat, grin

tin grin

n. a smile with a mouth having braces. I’ll be glad when I get rid of this tin grin.
See also: grin, tin

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Bairstow['bɛəstəu]
LuciusLOO:-ki-uws (Ancient Roman), LOO-shəs (English), LOO-see-əs (English)Ancient Roman, Biblical, English
Blanchard[bla:ŋ'ʃa:]
CarterKAHR-tərEnglish
EerikaE:-ree-kahFinnish
Phyllis['filis]