# shit-eating grin

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A broad smile indicating self-awareness that may suggest self-satisfaction, smugness, discomfort, or embarrassment.

## Etymology
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").

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/shit-eating-grin