- On the sly
- Sly Sly, a. [Compar. {Slier}or {Slyer}; superl. {Sliest} or
{Slyest}.] [OE. sli, slegh, sleih, Icel. sl?gr, for sl?gr;
akin to Sw. slug, Dan. slu, LG. slou, G. schlau; probably to
E. slay, v.t.; cf. G. verschlagen sly. See {Slay}, v. t., and
cf. {Sleight}.]
1. Dexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice;
nimble; skillful; cautious; shrewd; knowing; -- in a good
sense.
[1913 Webster]
Be ye sly as serpents, and simple as doves. --Wyclif (Matt. x. 16). [1913 Webster]
Whom graver age And long experience hath made wise and sly. --Fairfax. [1913 Webster]
2. Artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily. [1913 Webster]
For my sly wiles and subtle craftiness, The litle of the kingdom I possess. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]
3. Done with, and marked by, artful and dexterous secrecy; subtle; as, a sly trick. [1913 Webster]
Envy works in a sly and imperceptible manner. --I. Watts. [1913 Webster]
4. Light or delicate; slight; thin. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
{By the sly}, or {On the sly}, in a sly or secret manner. [Colloq.] ``Gazed on Hetty's charms by the sly.'' --G. Eliot.
{Sly goose} (Zo["o]l.), the common sheldrake; -- so named from its craftiness. [1913 Webster]
Syn: Cunning; crafty; subtile; wily. See {Cunning}. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
