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Anything resembling a dart; anything that pierces or wounds like a dart. The artful inquiry, whose venomed dart Scarce wounds the hearing while it stabs the heart. Hannan More.

, or time of arrival, of; as, the mail is delayed by a heavy fall of snow. Thyrsis! whose artful strains have oft delayed The huddling brook to hear his madrigal. Milton.

Intriguing; artful; scheming; as, a designing man.

Done with dexterity; skillful; artful; as, dexterous management. "Dexterous sleights of hand." Trench.

Characterized by tact and shrewdness; dexterous; artful; as, diplomatic management.

According to the rules of diplomacy; in the manner of a diplomatist; artfully.

; wanting in noble candor or frankness; not frank or open; uncandid; unworthily or meanly artful. So disingenuous as not to confess them [faults]. Pope. -- Dis`in*gen"u*ous*ly, adv. T. Warton. -- Dis`in*gen"u*ous*ness, n. Macaulay.

The act of evading by some skillful movement; a sudden starting aside; hence, an artful device to evade, deceive, or cheat; a cunning trick; an artifice. [Colloq.] Some, who have a taste for good living, have many harmless arts, by which they improve their banquet, and innocent dodges, if we may be permitted to use an…

One who carries through an enterprise by skillful or artful contrivance; an efficient manager. [Colloq.] Civil engineer, a person skilled in the science of civil engineering. -- Military engineer, one who executes engineering works of a military nature. See under Engineering.

avoiding, particularly the pressure of an argument, accusation, charge, or interrogation; artful means of eluding. Thou . . . by evasions thy crime uncoverest more. Milton.

A shrewd or artful person. [Slang] Fielding. Will is an old file spite of his smooth face. Thackeray. Bastard file, Cross file, etc. See under Bastard, Cross, etc. -- Cross-cut file, a file having two sets of teeth crossing obliquely. -- File blank, a steel blank shaped and ground ready for cutting to form a file. -…

Nice; delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; skillful; dexterous. The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine! Pope. The nicest and most delicate touches of satire consist in fine raillery. Dryden. He has as fine a hand at picking a pocket as a woman. T. Gray.

se or blandishments; to gratify or attempt to gratify the self-love or vanity of, esp. by artful and interested commendation or attentions; to blandish; to cajole; to wheedle. When I tell him he hates flatterers, He says he does, being then most flattered. Shak. A man that flattereth his neighbor, spreadeth a net for h…

Resembling a fox in his characteristic qualities; cunning; artful; foxy.

Fig.: Leadership; management. An artful stroke of generalship in Trim to raise a dust. Sterne.

To introduce artfully; to infuse gently; to instill. All the art of rhetoric, besides order and clearness, are for nothing else but to insinuate wrong ideas, move the passions, and thereby mislead the judgment. Locke. Horace laughs to shame all follies and insinuates virtue, rather by familiar examples than by the seve…

The act of gaining favor, affection, or influence, by gentle or artful means; -- formerly used in a good sense, as of friendly influence or interposition. Sir H. Wotton. I hope through the insinuation of Lord Scarborough to keep them here till further orders. Lady Cowper.

Trickish; artful. [Obs.] -- Knack"ish*ness, n. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

Artful; cunning; as, a knowing rascal. [Colloq.]

Sleight of hand; a trick of sleight of hand; hence, any artful deception or trick. He of legierdemayne the mysteries did know. Spenser. The tricks and legerdemain by which men impose upon their own souls. South.