cheeky

Reader's DigestのSmart Aninalsのコーナーは毎号読者からのペットにまつわる話題を紹介しています。昨年の１２月号にあった話を引用します。
Beach blast
We knew that Leroy Brown, our corgi cross, was clever, having mastered at least 30 words of command.
He was a regular on family outing, and a few years ago he joined us on an impromptu trip to the beach. Upon arrival, we saw a sign saying that dogs were banned on the beach. So, to Leroy's disgust, he was left in the car while we set off for a stroll.
When we were halfway down to the water, our car horn began to blast. I turned around and, sure enough, there was Leroy's cheeky face peeking over the driver's wheel as he madly beeped the horn to get our attention. I joked horn to some surprised onlookers: "So? He wanted to come with us!"
"cheeky" は前にどこかで見た表現ですが、思い出せません。今度はしっかりと覚えたい。
・Macmillan Dictionary: showing a lack of respect, but in a way that seems lively and attractive instead of rude
a cheeky grin/look
・Collins Dictionary: disrespectful in speech or behaviour; impudent ⇒ a cheeky child
・Vocabulary.com: If you're being cheeky you're being brash or irreverent. If you're a cheeky child, you're probably just being impudent and disrespectful ? and you're probably going to get in trouble.
Cheeky has shades of meaning according to the degree of offense taken, and this may vary between British and American English. At the offensive end are the synonyms rude, disrespectful, and insulting. Less offensive are sassy, arrogant, and shameless. Rounding out the cheeky spectrum are bold, assertive, and daring, which are about getting noticed but without causing injury.
幾つかの辞書を見ると "cheeky" は単に「生意気」、「厚かましい」だけでは片付かないニュアンスがあるのですね。翻訳者が苦労する単語でしょうか。