slily

English

Adverb

slily (comparative more slily, superlative most slily)

1. Alternative spelling of slyly
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, “In which Mrs. Miller Pays a Visit to Sophia”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume VI, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book XVII, page 134:

     VVhen ſhe vvas dreſt, therefore, dovvn ſhe vvent, reſolved to encounter all the Horrours of the Day, and a moſt diſagreeable one it proved; for Lady Bellaſton took every opportunity very civilly and ſlily to inſult her; […]

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Town-Ho’s Story (As Told at the Golden Inn.)”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 274:

     So when they were working that evening at the pumps, there was on this head no small gamesomeness slily going on among them, as they stood with their feet continually overflowed by the rippling clear water; […]

   • 1899, Knut Hamsun, “Part II”, in George Egerton [pseudonym; Mary Chavelita Dunne Bright], transl., Hunger […], London: Leonard Smithers and Co […], →OCLC, page 103:

     I lie there on the stretcher-bed and laugh slily, but say nothing; give vent to no opinion one way or the other.

Anagrams

• silly, silyl, yills

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈslɪlɪ]
• Rhymes: -ɪlɪ
• Homophone: slili

Participle

slily

1. inflection of slít:
   1. inanimate masculine plural past active participle
   2. feminine plural past active participle

Middle English

Adverb

slily

1. Alternative form of sleighly