Sly
a.
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Dexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice; nimble; skillful; cautious; shrewd; knowing; -- in a good sense.
Be ye sly as serpents, and simple as doves.
Whom graver age
And long experience hath made wise and sly.
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Artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.
For my sly wiles and subtle craftiness,
The litle of the kingdom I possess.
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Done with, and marked by, artful and dexterous secrecy; subtle; as, a sly trick.
Envy works in a sly and imperceptible manner.
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Light or delicate; slight; thin. [Obs.]
Phrases & Compounds
- By the sly
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in a sly or secret manner.
- Sly goose
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the common sheldrake; -- so named from its craftiness.