ər adjective
a comparative of sly.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
adjective
Idioms 1.
cunning or wily: sly as a fox.
2.
stealthy, insidious, or secret.
3.
playfully artful, mischievous, or roguish: sly humor.
4.
on the sly, secretly; furtively: a tryst on the sly.
Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English sly, sley < Old Norse slœgr sly, cunning
1150–1200; Middle English sly, sley < Old Norse slœgr sly, cunning
Related forms
sly·ly, sli·ly, adverb
sly·ness, noun
un·sly, adjective
un·sly·ly, adverb
un·sly·ness, noun
Synonyms
1. artful, subtle, foxy, crafty, shrewd, astute. 2. surreptitious, furtive, underhand, clandestine.
1. artful, subtle, foxy, crafty, shrewd, astute. 2. surreptitious, furtive, underhand, clandestine.
Antonyms
1. direct, obvious.
1. direct, obvious.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To slier
00:10
Slier
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
Collins
sly (slaɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj , slyer, slyest, slier, sliest | |
| 1. | crafty; artful: a sly dodge |
| 2. | insidious; furtive: a sly manner |
| 3. | playfully mischievous; roguish: sly humour |
| —n | |
| 4. | on the sly in a secretive manner |
| [C12: from Old Norse slǣgr clever, literally: able to strike, from slā to | |
| 'slyly | |
| —adv | |
| 'slily | |
| —adv | |
| 'slyness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
sly
c.1200, from O.N. sloegr "cunning, crafty, sly," from P.Gmc. *slogis (cf. Low Ger. slu "cunning, sly"), probably from base *slog- "hit" (see slay), with an original notion of "able to hit." Cf. Ger. verschlagen "cunning, crafty, sly," schlagfertig "quick-witted," lit. "ready
to strike," from schlagen "to strike." A non-pejorative use of the word lingered in northern Eng. dialect until 20c. On the sly "in secret" is recorded from 1812. Sly-boots "a seeming Silly, but subtil Fellow" is in the 1700 "Dictionary of the Canting Crew."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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