cat that swallowed the canary, (look) like the

cat that swallowed the canary, (look) like the

Look both smug and guilty. The analogy dates back to the mid-nineteenth century and was used by many writers, especially mystery writers (Dashiel Hammett among them), in the first half of the twentieth century.

See also: cat, like, swallow, that

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer