Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Clever or cunning, especially in the practice of deceit.
- adjective Stealthy or surreptitious.
- adjective Playfully mischievous.
- idiom (on the sly) In a way intended to escape notice.
from The Century Dictionary.
- . Cunning; skilful; shrewd.
- Meanly artful; insidious; crafty.
- Playfully artful; knowing; having an intentionally transparent artfulness.
- Artfully and delicately wrought; cunning; ingenious.
- Thin; fine; slight; slender.
- Illicit: as, sly grog (liquor made in illicit stills).
- Synonyms and
- Cunning, Artful, Sly, etc. (sec cunning).
- Roguish, playful, waggish.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Dexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice; nimble; skillful; cautious; shrewd; knowing; -- in a good sense.
- adjective Artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.
- adjective Done with, and marked by, artful and dexterous secrecy; subtle.
- adjective obsolete Light or delicate; slight; thin.
- adjective [Colloq.] in a sly or secret manner.
- adjective (Zoöl.) the common sheldrake; -- so named from its craftiness.
- adverb Obs. or Poetic Slyly.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Artfully
cunning ; secretlymischievous ;wily . - adjective
Dexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice;nimble ;skillful ;cautious ;shrewd ;knowing ; — in a good sense. - adjective Done with, and marked by, artful and dexterous
secrecy ;subtle ; as, a sly trick. - adjective Light or
delicate ; slight; thin. - adverb
Slyly .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective marked by skill in deception
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Wes Anderson animated a classic Roald Dahl story and cast the vocal talents of George Clooney as the title sly fox.
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I also would like to write in my vote for Bruce Campbell to be in this movie. joe story sounds decent. but i don't know how good the script will be if sly is writing it. the cast sounds good, but i don't know how well jet li will fit into a more traditional action movie rather than a kung fu movie.
Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Jet Li to Team Up For The Expendables | /Film
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She held her expression sly and walked Runtly away.
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In fact, all along she has been impressing on me in sly terms, that my absence was felt to be good company at Cheyne Row; and that if I ever came back it would be at the risk of spoiling everybody's good humour!!
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One day he called sly Mercury, who had wings on his shoes, and bade him go and lead the cow away from the grove where she was kept.
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Im disappointed in vh1s top songs. they are just getting more out of key with veiwers by adding fillers like creed and korn. i would rather call sly and family stone more popular "hard rock" evanesance.
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“The fear of camera-fitted mobile phones which can take pictures of a woman on the sly, is keeping a number of Qatari women away from beauty salons,” the Peninsula On-line reports.”
Smart Mobs » Blog Archive » Qatari women and camera-fitted mobile phones
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“The fear of camera-fitted mobile phones which can take pictures of a woman on the sly, is keeping a number of Qatari women away from beauty salons,” the Peninsula On-line reports.”
Smart Mobs » Blog Archive » Qatari women and camera-fitted mobile phones
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He rebuilds a lab, on the sly, that is humongous, an undertaking requiring great wealth and a greater amount of equipment and manpower.
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A minute later it was Mosselet’s turn to come in, a cigarette between his lips, his expression sly and condescending.
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