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over; braided; figuratively, involved; intricate; artful. Time shall unfold what plaited cunning hides. Shak.

One who plays on an instrument of music. "A cunning player on a harp." 1 Sam. xvi. 16.

er than on principles of equity or honor; hence, worldly wisdom; dexterity of management; cunning; stratagem.

nce, in a good sense, wise; prudent; sagacious; and in a bad sense, artful; unscrupulous; cunning; -- said of persons. Politic with my friend, smooth with mine enemy. Shak.

Cunning; using artifice; politic; artful. "Ill-meaning politician lords." Milton.

Made or done after the date assigned. Of these [predictions] some were postdate; cunningly made after the thing came to pass. Fuller.

Artful; deceitful; skillful. [Obs.] "Cunning sleights and practick knavery." Spenser.

Craft; subtlety; cunning. [Obs.] Chaucer. R. of Glouces.

to excess; an affected subtilty; as, refinements of logic. "The refinements of irregular cunning." Rogers.

ine to accept; to reject; to deny the request or petition of; as, to refuse a suitor. The cunning workman never doth refuse The meanest tool that he may chance to use. Herbert.

beyond the point-blank range). Fair Venusson that with thy cruel dart At that good knoght cunningly didst rove. Spenser.

y; a maxim or proverb. [Archaic or Colloq.] He no sooner said out his say, but up rises a cunning snap. L'Estrange. That strange palmer's boding say, That fell so ominous and drear Full on the object of his fear. Sir W. Scott.

t a shadow or image of; to shadow forth; to represent. [Obs.] [The goddess] in her person cunningly did shade That part of Justice which is Equity. Spenser.

regard for the future; heedless. -- Short"sight`ed*ly, adv. -- Short"sight`ed*ness, n. Cunning is a kind of shortsightedness. Addison.

Artful; wily; cunning; arch. These women are shrewd tempters with their tongues. Shak.

Artlessness of mind; freedom from cunning or duplicity; lack of acuteness and sagacity. Marquis Dorset, a man, for his harmless simplicity neither misliked nor much regarded. Hayward. In wit a man; simplicity a child. Pope.

A king of Corinth, son of Æolus, famed for his cunning. He was killed by Theseus, and in the lower world was condemned by Pluto to roll to the top of a hill a huge stone, which constantly rolled back again, making his task incessant.

Discerning; reasonable; judicious; cunning. [Obs.] "Of skillful judgment." Chaucer.

Cunning; craft; artful practice. [Obs.] "His sleight and his covin." Chaucer.

Cunning; dexterous. [Obs.]