cagey

English

Alternative forms

• cagy

Etymology

Initially US colloquial, of unknown origin. A connection with the behavior of caged prisoners (wary and closed-lipped) and caged animals (wary) has been speculated. If correct, then equivalent to cage +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkeɪd͡ʒi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪdʒi

Adjective

cagey (comparative cagier, superlative cagiest)

1. Wary, careful, shrewd.
   • 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Omega (Samara: The Ardat-Yakshi):

     Samara: I will be in the shadows watching, Shepard. You will never be alone -- this I swear. But you cannot barge in with guns and allies.
     Samara: Morinth is far too cagey -- she'd simply disappear. This is a subtle, delicate act. Trust me.

   • 2011 February 6, Alistair Magowan, “West Ham 0 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     But with both sides in the Premier League's bottom three before the game began, the three points at stake made for a cagey match.

2. Uncommunicative; unwilling or hesitant to give information.

   Synonyms: evasive, reticent, shy

   • 2015 October 7, Alan Yuhas, “JFK: declassified documents reveal a cunning and cagey president”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     John F Kennedy’s secret talks with Soviet intelligence, surreptitious tape recordings and “girlfriend system” create a new portrait of a cunning and cagey JFK, according to a historian who has researched a treasure trove of recently released recordings and papers of the late president.

Derived terms

• cageyness
• cagily
• caginess

 

Translations

wary, careful, shrewd

• Bulgarian: предпазлив (bg) (predpazliv), потаен (bg) (potaen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小心的 (zh), 谨慎的 (zh)

• Czech: opatrný (cs), zdrženlivý
• Dutch: terughoudend (nl)
• Finnish: ovela (fi)
• German: zurückhaltend (de)

uncommunicative

• Bulgarian: необщителен (bg) (neobštitelen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 有戒心的 (zh)

• Czech: tajnůstkářský
• Dutch: zwijgzaam (nl), gesloten (nl)
• Finnish: varautunut (fi)
• German: schweigsam (de)
• Maori: whakatōngā

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: ^{(please verify)} ausweichend (de)
• Icelandic: slóttugur (is) m, slunginn m, aðgætinn og kænn m, út undir sig
• Norwegian: avvisende, unnvikende (no)