cagey

cagey
also cagy adjective (cagier; -est) Etymology: origin unknown Date: circa 1893 1. hesitant about committing oneself <
officials are cagey about giving out details
>
2. a. wary of being trapped or deceived ; shrewd <
a cagey consumer
>
b. marked by cleverness <
a cagey reply
>
cagily adverbcaginess also cageyness noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • cagey — [adj] tricky cagey, careful, circumspect, crafty, cunning, leery, secretive, shrewd, sly, wary, wily; concepts 401,545 …   New thesaurus

  • cagey — index machiavellian Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • cagey — evasive, reticent, 1909, U.S. colloquial, of unknown origin …   Etymology dictionary

  • cagey — is more recent than people realize (first recorded 1909) and is an Americanism. This is a better spelling than its variant cagy …   Modern English usage

  • cagey — (also cagy) ► ADJECTIVE informal ▪ uncommunicative owing to caution or suspicion. DERIVATIVES cagily adverb caginess (also cageyness) noun. ORIGIN of unknown origin …   English terms dictionary

  • cagey — ☆ cagey or cagy [kā′jē ] adj. cagier, cagiest [< ?] Informal 1. sly; tricky; cunning 2. careful not to get caught or fooled cagily adv. caginess n …   English World dictionary

  • cagey — UK [ˈkeɪdʒɪ] / US adjective Word forms cagey : adjective cagey comparative cagier superlative cagiest informal not saying much about something, because you do not want people to know very much cagey about: He was very cagey about his reasons for… …   English dictionary

  • cagey — adj. (colloq.) sly cagey about * * * [ keɪdʒɪ] (colloq.) [ sly ] cagey about …   Combinatory dictionary

  • cagey — cag|ey [ˈkeıdʒi] adj unwilling to tell people about your plans, intentions, or opinions cagey about ▪ He was very cagey about the deal. >cagily adv >caginess n …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • cagey — ca|gey [ keıdʒi ] adjective INFORMAL not saying much about something, because you do not want people to know very much: SECRETIVE: cagey about: He was very cagey about his reasons for leaving. ╾ ca|gi|ly adverb …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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