English

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Etymology

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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

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Noun

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shit-eating grin (plural shit-eating grins)

  1. (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
    • 2006, Ted Bell, Spy: A Thriller, →ISBN, page 29:
      He was at the wheel of his brand-new 1965 GTO, top down, wearing a super-sized shit-eating grin on his face. 

Usage notes

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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

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Translations

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References

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  • Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.