cheshire cat
Preserved but no longer current.
Sense 1
He grins like a Cheshire cat; said of anyone who shews his teeth and gums in laughing.
Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Sense 2
To grin like a CHESHIRE CAT, to display the teeth and gums when laughing. Formerly the phrase was "to grin like a CHESHIRE CAT eating cheese." A hardly satisfactory explanation has been given of this phrase—that Cheshire is a county palatine, and the cats, when they think of it, are so tickled with the notion that they can’t help grinning.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “cheshire cat” mean?
He grins like a Cheshire cat; said of anyone who shews his teeth and gums in laughing.
Is “cheshire cat” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.