hmph.
i was reading the thing about the cheshire cats grinning, and the suggestion was made that the phrase came from the cat-shaped cheeses originating there.
but what i want to know is why nobody stopped to think WHY the cheshire cheese cats were smiling.
perhaps because cats are reputed to love milk, and it’s a dairy county? i would smile if i was stuck in bookville or hot-guy-ville, don’t you think a cat would smile in cheshire county thinking about all the milk there?
why did we skip over that obvious explanation?
:eek: 
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DrMatrix - Moderator
There’s another nuance to the literary Chesire cat. When it vanishes, leaving only the smile, I think Carroll was describing how children eat the cheeses molded in the shape of a smiling cat. I’ve seen modern children eat chocolate Easter Bunnies in a sort-of spiral pattern, usually leaving the head/face for last. I can easily picture 19th-century children doing something similar, eating all but the smile, playing with it for a few minutes, and then finishing it off.