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单词 sly
释义

sly

/slʌɪ /
adjective (slyer, slyest)
1Having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature: a sly, manipulative woman...
  • Those raised in urban Western understanding of the psychology of the animal kingdom tend to view the fox as a cunning, sly, deceitful animal.
  • She was a rather cunning and sly teenager by nature, accented by her narrow brown eyes and usual smirk.
  • When Chinese describe a person as ‘a monkey’, it means the person is extremely sly or cunning.

Synonyms

cunning, crafty, clever, wily, artful, guileful, tricky, conniving, scheming, devious, designing, deceitful, duplicitous, dishonest, disingenuous, underhand, sneaky, untrustworthy;
manipulative, calculating, Machiavellian
informal foxy, shifty
British informal fly
Australian/New Zealand informal shonky
South African informal slim
archaic subtle
rare carny
1.1Showing in an insinuating way that one has some secret knowledge that may be harmful or embarrassing: he gave a sly grin...
  • He couldn't resist what appeared a sly dig at the directors of Dundee, suggesting that by refusing to accept his offer to invest, they were willing to risk their club's financial well-being.
  • He seems touched but then can't resist having a sly dig at himself by pointing out that the really tender thing to have done would have been not to include it on the album.
  • Stan nodded conspiratorially, a sly grin creeping over his face.

Synonyms

roguish, mischievous, impish, puckish, playful, teasing, naughty, wicked, waggish;
arch, knowing
Scottish & Northern English informal pawky
1.2(Of an action) surreptitious: a sly sip of water...
  • Nelson took a sip of the wine and a sly smile appeared.

Synonyms

surreptitious, furtive, stealthy, covert, secret

Phrases

on the sly

Derivatives

slyness

/ˈslʌɪnəs / noun ...
  • He can pull a prank with craftiness and slyness, so cunningly that even the heroes of war would not be able to spot it.
  • He seems to know all the possible ways one might lie-with craftiness, slyness, deception.
  • ‘The slyness was a horrible moral and personal version of spots,’ he says, ‘and I think I just grew out of it in a strange way.’

Origin

Middle English (also in the sense 'dexterous'): from Old Norse slœgr 'cunning', originally 'able to strike' from the verb slá; compare with sleight.

  • Early use of sly, which comes from Old Norse slœgr ‘cunning’, included the sense ‘dexterous, skilful’. The phrase on the sly is recorded in use from the early 19th century. Sleight (Middle English) is from the same source, and passed from the sense ‘cunning’ to ‘sleight of hand’ in the late 16th century.

Rhymes

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更新时间:2024/12/23 10:16:01