Cheshire cat
the Cheshire cat in the 1866 publication of Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Meaning
Proper Noun
- A fictional cat with a broad fixed grin, made popular by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865).
Origin
- Term attested since at least the 1780s in the expression grin like a Cheshire cat. The reason why Cheshire was combined with cat is disputed: see here for more information.
Modern English dictionary
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