deep-laid

English

Adjective

deep-laid (comparative more deep-laid, superlative most deep-laid)

1. (of schemes, etc.) secret and carefully planned.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:covert

   • 1848, Charles Dickens, chapter XVII, in Dombey and Son‎^[1]:

     Captain Cuttle, in the exercise of that surprising talent for deep-laid and unfathomable scheming, with which (as is not unusual in men of transparent simplicity) he sincerely believed himself to be endowed by nature, […]

   • 1900, Winston Churchill, chapter X, in London to Ladysmith via Pretoria‎^[2]:

     'Then why did you make every preparation—turn the Republics into armed camps—prepare deep-laid plans for the invasion of our Colonies?'

   • 1914, Jack London, The Strength of the Strong‎^[3], The Dream of Debs:

     What worried him was the wire-cutting; he could not but believe that it was an important part of the deep-laid labour conspiracy.