be all smiles
informal

• (of a person) look very cheerful and pleased, especially in contrast to a previous mood.

  More example sentences

  • ‘she was all smiles now that the crisis was over’
  • ‘In contrast, Harrington was all smiles, perfectly at ease with himself and the situation.’
  • ‘Mr. Derek was all smiles and grins for the ladies, and jokes and cuddles for the kids.’
  • ‘Lydia Cross was all smiles again this week after being rushed to hospital with laryngitis.’
  • ‘Brooklyn Beckham was all smiles today as he emerged from the private hospital where his mother Victoria and new-born brother Romeo were said to be doing well.’
  • ‘Not too impressed when he drew Greece a few weeks ago, however, he was all smiles on Sunday night following their shock Championship win.’
  • ‘Nadine George was all smiles as she accepted this trophy from Sports Minister Mario Michel’
  • ‘But it was all smiles at a parents' evening within two months.’
  • ‘For his part, Khan, who was all smiles, expressed his confidence in Imbert's ability to get the job done.’
  • ‘The waitress was all smiles and sweet to me, and made me feel right at home.’
  • ‘He was all smiles by the time I stumbled into the office on Sunday morning, still in need of a few more hours of sleep.’
come up smiling
informal

• Recover from adversity and cheerfully face what is to come.

  More example sentences

  • ‘despite her ordeal courageous Kelly has come up smiling’
  • ‘The front man has the face of someone who has been to Hell and back, and come up smiling - the sort of face you'll only find in rock and roll bands.’
  • ‘You take your tumbles with good grace and always come up smiling.’
  • ‘His ability to drink from what was seen as a poisoned chalice and come up smiling will stand to him in the challenges that lie ahead.’
  • ‘This city has taught me to persevere and shine and to overcome the toughest of hurdles and still come up smiling.’
  • ‘It seemed to me that however bad things got, he came up smiling.’
  • ‘Above all, they faced life squarely, had the courage and comic gift to investigate the contradictoriness of human nature and come up smiling at what they saw - and, so, make us smile too.’
  • ‘The sign of a great ride is when you peel yourself off a mud splattered stump after a 30 mph endo and come up smiling.’
  • ‘Overall the film painted a picture of Ireland in the 1930s in which impoverished farmers struggled gamely in difficult conditions but always came up smiling.’
  • ‘He learned quickly, worked harder than almost everyone else and came up smiling every time.’
  • ‘He's a working class lad, he's very bright, he makes you smile when you meet him because of his cheek and his ability to come up smiling whatever life throws at him.’

Middle English perhaps of Scandinavian origin; related to smirk.