Sly

GRE 蓝宝 Barron 考研

[编辑] 解释

adjective (slier or slyer; sliest or slyest)

Etymology: Middle English sleighe, sli, from Old Norse sl?gr; akin to Old English slēan to strike — more at slay
Date: 13th century
1. chiefly dialect
- a. wise in practical affairs
- b. displaying cleverness ; ingenious
2.
- a. clever in concealing one's aims or ends ; furtive <the sly fox>
- b. lacking in straightforwardness and candor ; dissembling <a sly scheme>
3. lightly mischievous ; roguish <a sly jest><a sly smile>
? slyly also slily adverb
? slyness noun
Synonyms:
- sly, cunning, crafty, wily, tricky, foxy, artful, slick mean attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means. sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods <a sly corporate raider>. cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing<the cunning fox avoided the trap>. crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method<a crafty lefthander>. wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering<the wily fugitive escaped the posse>. tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering<a tricky political operative>. foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing<a foxy publicity man planting stories>. artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness<elicited the information by artful questioning>. slick emphasizes smoothness and guile<slick operators selling time-sharing>.