Dictionary

craftily en · ADV

Pronunciation

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Etymology

From Middle English craftyly, craftily, craftiliche, from Old English cræftiġlīċe (“craftily, skillfully”), equivalent to crafty + -ly.

Meanings

1. In a crafty manner; slyly.
   • [H]e [Thomas Arundell] by his euill counſaile and prodigious ſuggeſtions, craftilye circumuented the king, inducyng him to graunt his letters of pardon to a great traytour the Erle of Arondell his brother [Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel]. 1569, Richard Grafton, “Richarde the Seconde”, in A Chronicle at Large and Meere History of the Affayres of Englande […], volume II, London: […] Henry Denham, […], for Richarde Tottle and Humffrey Toye, →OCLC, page 390:
   • But the most bizarre twist of events was yet to come. That afternoon, Labour tabled a craftily worded motion. It would have guaranteed parliamentary time for a bill to ban fracking. 2023 September 1, Aubrey Allegretti, “‘She’s totally lost it’: Inside story of the unravelling of Liz Truss’s premiership”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC:

Forms

Translations (2)

es astutamente (in a crafty manner) · la vafrē (in a crafty manner)