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cunning

Translation
cunning
—cunningly, adv. —cunningness, n.
/kun"ing/, n.
1. skill employed in a shrewd or sly manner, as in deceiving; craftiness; guile.
2. adeptness in performance; dexterity: The weaver's hand lost its cunning.
adj.
3. showing or made with ingenuity.
4. artfully subtle or shrewd; crafty; sly.
5. Informal. charmingly cute or appealing: a cunning little baby.
6. Archaic. skillful; expert.
v.
7. Obs. ppr. of can1.
[1275-1325; (n.) ME; OE cunnung, equiv. to cunn(an) to know (see CAN1) + -ung -ING1; (adj., v.) ME, prp. of cunnan to know (see CAN1, -ING2)]
Syn. 1. shrewdness, artfulness, wiliness, trickery, finesse, intrigue, slyness, deception. CUNNING, ARTIFICE, CRAFT imply an inclination toward deceit, slyness, and trickery. CUNNING implies a shrewd, often instinctive skill in concealing or disguising the real purposes of one's actions: not intelligence but a low kind of cunning. An ARTIFICE is a clever, unscrupulous ruse, used to mislead others: a successful artifice to conceal one's motives. CRAFT suggests underhand methods and the use of deceptive devices and tricks to attain one's ends: craft and deceitfulness in every act. 2. adroitness. 3. ingenious, skillful. 4. artful, wily, tricky, foxy.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Cunning — Cun ning (k[u^]n n[i^]ng), a. [AS. cunnan to know, to be able. See 1st {Con}, {Can}.] 1. Knowing; skillful; dexterous. A cunning workman. Ex. xxxviii. 23. [1913 Webster] Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white Nature s own sweet and cunning… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cunning — 1> хитрость, коварство, лукавство Ex: to play cunning разг. лукавить, хитрить 2> редк. уменье, ловкость, искусство Ex: the old sculptor s hand never lost its cunning рука старого скульптора не утратила мастерства 3> коварный, хитрый, лукавый Ex:… …   Новый большой англо-русский словарь

  • Cunning — Cun ning, n. [AS. cunnung trial, or Icel. kunnandi knowledge. See {Cunning}, a.] 1. Knowledge; art; skill; dexterity. [Archaic] [1913 Webster] Let my right hand forget her cunning. Ps. cxxxvii. 5. [1913 Webster] A carpenter s desert Stands more… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cunning — can also mean slip past or sneaky. Cunning can refer to the following: A Japanese comedy group known as Cunning (owarai) The Cunning folk, a type of folk magic user This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an …   Wikipedia

  • cunning — 1. noun 1) хитрость, коварство 2) obs. ловкость, умение Syn: seeguile 2. adj. 1) хитрый, коварный 2) obs. искусный, способный, ловкий; изобре тательный 3) amer.; coll. прелестный, изящный, интересный, пикантный cunningsmile очаровательная улыбка …   Англо-русский словарь Мюллера

  • cunning — index artful, artifice, clandestine, collusive, color (deceptive appearance), deceit, deception, deceptive, deft …   Law dictionary

  • cunning — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from present participle of can know Date: 14th century 1. dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources (as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end < a cunning plotter > 2. displaying keen insight… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • cunning — ˈkʌnɪŋ 1. сущ. 1) а) уст. знание, познания, образованность Syn : knowledge, learning б) искусство, умение Syn : craft, art 2) быстрота, проворность 3) коварность, хитрость Syn : guile, cra …   Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь

  • cunning — 1. adjective a) Sly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour. b) Skillful, artful. 2. noun a) The skill of being cunning, sly, conniving, or deceitful …   Wiktionary

  • cunning — [ kʌnɪŋ] 1) Общая лексика: изобретательный, искусно сделанный, искусный, коварный, коварство, ловкость, лукавство, лукавый, милый, прелестный, привлекательный, тонкий, хитрость, хитрый, дошлый, хитреца, хитроумие, хитроумный 2) Американизм:… …   Универсальный англо-русский словарь