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on the sly

   Also found in: Idioms 0.01 sec.
sly  (sl)
adj. sli·er (slr) also sly·er, sli·est (slst) also sly·est
1. Adept in craft or cunning.
2. Lacking or marked by a lack of candor.
3. Playfully mischievous; roguish.
Idiom:
on the sly
In a way intended to escape notice: took extra payments on the sly.
[Middle English sleigh, from Old Norse slgr.]
slyly adv.
slyness n.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adv.1.on the sly - in a furtive manner; "the soldiers were furtively crawling through the night"
furtively
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You believe in a palace of crystal that can never be destroyed--a palace at which one will not be able to put out one's tongue or make a long nose on the sly.
Notes from the Underground by Dostoyevsky, Fyodor View in context
And even if she does not, the Darya Frantsovnas will get wind of it, and the girl will soon be slipping out on the sly here and there.
Crime And Punishment by Dostoyevsky, Fyodor View in context
Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.
The Four Million by Henry, O. View in context
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