the cat that swallowed the canary

Someone who is smugly pleased or self-satisfied. After her promotion, Janet spent the rest of the day looking like the cat that swallowed the canary. Look at those kids with their ice creams—the cats that swallowed the canaries!

See also: canary, cat, swallow, that

See also:

References in periodicals archive

They look like the cat that swallowed the canary but you happen to know that their methods leave a lot to be desired.

YOUR STARS

Today Democrats roaming Washington, D.C., have the self-satisfied look of the cat that swallowed the canary. If the November congressional elections were held today, the Republicans would risk losing both houses of Congress.

The Congress problem

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