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LOOK LIKE THE CAT THAT SWALLOWED THE CANARY

to have a knowing and self-satisfied smile on one’s face; to be pleased with oneself, often because one has done smth. which one knows was wrong but which was very enjoyable
 LOOK LIKE THE CAT THAT SWALLOWED THE CANARY
1. The clever businessman had just completed a very profitable deal for a very good price, and he was very pleased with himself. He looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.
2. When the teacher came into the classroom, the students sat there looking like cats that swallowed the canaries. The teacher knew the students must be planning something mischievous.

Canaries are songbirds that people keep as pets in cages. A cat that had swallowed a canary would be pleased with itself but also know that it would be in trouble when the master of the house came home and discovered what had happened.


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