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A possible origin of the phrase "Grinning like a Cheshire Cat" is from the large number of dairy farms in Cheshire, hence the cats grin because of the abundance of milk and cream. This is the explanation most favoured by the people of Cheshire. (wikipedia)

Quote from: hubag bohol on September 04, 2012, 05:09:09 PM

is it grinning?  in the dark?

in the darkness i can't tell whether it's a cat or a frog...

The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat is famous.

Cheshire Cat
Alice character


The Cheshire cat as John Tenniel envisioned it in the 1866 publication

First appearance    Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Created by            Lewis Carroll

Information

Species                 Tabby British Shorthair Cat
Nationality            Wonderland

/wikipedia

so there's a place in england named cheshire, and there are cats.  but do cheshire cats really grin?  out of 7 answers that tried to explain this idiom, this one is the most believable:

It's a Breed of Cat

There is a breed of cat originally known as the Dorset blue. This breed has a face with an upturned mouth that appears to be constantly smiling. Of course, the cat is not really smiling at all; it might be downright miserable, but it certainly looks amused. Sometime during the first part of the 18th Century, someone brought some of these cats from Dorset in the South West of England up to Cheshire in the North West, where they really thrived. In fact, they became so common in that county that they were referred to as Cheshire blue cats, or simply Cheshire cats.

They do appear to smile, but they are not blue - not in color, anyway. They may be feeling blue, possibly because everyone assumes they’re happy when they’re not. (http://mazzybolero.hubpages.com/)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMHrNt5z-V8#

My [the author's] Conclusions

This last explanation is mundane - and who needs that? We all like a good story. However, I have to admit that this could be the most likely origin of the phrase "grinning like a Cheshire cat". These cats do look as if they are grinning, as you can see from the video. Unfortunately, it's a Russian video, but it's all I can find. You get the idea. (http://mazzybolero.hubpages.com/)

However, I have my own opinion about the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, which speaks in riddles and forces children to think about what's real and what isn't. It's the only character who listens to young Alice and tries to help her learn the rules of life in this mad world. This mysterious creature is almost certainly a mouthpiece for a certain Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, the author of the book. He's the real Cheshire cat. (http://mazzybolero.hubpages.com/)


Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll

Quote from: islander on September 04, 2012, 05:32:24 PM

in the darkness i can't tell whether it's a cat or a frog...

Hmm, atong pahayagan og gamay...