cunning ♦︎ crafty ♦︎ sly ♦︎ sneaky ♦︎ wily ♦︎ sharp ♦︎ calculating ♦︎ schemingThese words all describe people behaving in a dishonest or indirect way in order to get sth.这些词均表示狡猾的、奸诈的、诡计多端的。PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配◆a cunning / sly / sneaky trick◆a cunning / calculating / scheming mind◆a cunning / crafty / sly / sneaky / scheming bastard◆a cunning / crafty / sneaky / calculating / scheming bitch◆a crafty / sly / sneaky devil / thing◆a cunning / crafty / sly / sneaky / scheming little...◆a cunning / crafty / sly / sneaky / wily old...■cunning (sometimesdisapproving) having or showing skill at getting what you want, especially by indirect or dishonest methods精明的;(尤指)狡猾的,奸诈的◆That cunning old rogue is up to something, I'm sure.我确信那个狡猾的老流氓在捣鬼。◆It's just a cunning ploy by the marketing people to get us to buy more cornflakes.那只是市场营销人员让我们买更多玉米片的狡猾伎俩。 see also devious ⇨ dishonest▸cunning
noun
[uncountable] ◆It took energy and cunning just to survive.既要花力气又要有心计才能生存。■craftycunning精明的;(尤指)狡猾的,奸诈的◆He's a crafty old devil.他是个奸诈狡猾的老狐狸。◆She's one of the party's craftiest political strategists.她是该党最精明的政治战略家之一。NOTE辨析 Cunning or crafty?Cunning can describe a person or a plan. Crafty usually describes a person; it can also describe a single action, but not a whole plan. * cunning可以形容人或计划。crafty一般形容人,此外还可形容单一的行为,但不形容整个计划◆That was a crafty move / touch.那是一次巧妙的行动/接触。◆a crafty ploy by the marketing peopleWhen used to describe people, both cunning and crafty can suggest admiration for sb's cleverness as much as disapproval of their dishonesty.用来形容人时,cunning和crafty均表示既赞赏其聪明,又不齿其诡诈。■sly (disapproving) behaving or done in a secret and usually dishonest way诡诈的;狡诈的◆That was a sly political move.那是一种诡诈的政治手段。◆She's a sly one-never lets on what she's thinking.她心机很深,从不让别人知道她在想什么。ⓘ If you do sth on the sly, you do it secretly, not wanting other people to discover what you are doing. * on the sly指秘密地、偷偷地◆He has to visit them on the sly.他只好偷偷去看望他们。■sneaky (informal, sometimesdisapproving) behaving or done in a secret and sometimes dishonest or unpleasant way悄悄的;偷偷摸摸的;鬼鬼祟祟的◆I took a sneaky glance at my watch.我悄悄瞥了一下我的手表。◆That was a sneaky trick to play!耍这种把戏也太不光明正大了!NOTE辨析 Sly or sneaky?Sneaky is a less formal word than sly and shows less serious disapproval. * sneaky比 sly较不正式,贬义较轻。■wily ˈwaɪli (of a person) clever at getting what you want, and willing to trick people(人)狡猾的,诡计多端的,爱捉弄人的◆He was outwitted by his wily opponent.他被狡猾的对手用计击败了。■sharp (disapproving) (of a person or their way of doing business) clever but possibly dishonest(人或经商手法)狡猾的,诡诈的◆His lawyer's a sharp operator.他的律师是个老狐狸。◆The firm had to face some sharp practice from competing companies.该公司不得不面对几家竞争对手的小动作。ⓘ Operator and practice are by far the most frequent collocates of sharp in this meaning.表达此义时,sharp最常与operator和practice搭配。■calculating (disapproving) (of a person) good at planning things so that they have an advantage, without caring about other people(人)精明的,精于算计的◆The judge called him 'a cold and calculating killer'.法官称他是个“工于心计的冷酷杀手”。■scheming ˈskiːmɪŋ (ratherformal, disapproving) (of a person) often planning secretly to do sth for their own advantage, especially by deceiving other people(人)惯搞阴谋的,诡计多端的,狡诈的◆She plays the role of a scheming wife in a doomed marriage.她扮演的角色是个在一桩注定失败的婚姻中诡计多端的妻子。