pawky

[ paw-kee ]

/ ˈpɔ ki /

adjective, pawk·i·er, pawk·i·est. Chiefly British.

cunning; sly.

Nearby words

pavo, pavonine, pavor nocturnus, pavé, paw, pawky, pawl, pawn, pawn off, pawn ticket, pawnage

Origin of pawky

1670–80; Scots pawk trick + -y¹

Related forms

pawk·i·ly, adverbpawk·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pawky

His bon hommie is unique; he has a rich, pawky humour, which with his own countrymen is almost worshipped.
Western Worthies|J. Stephen Jeans
The operatic villain shook his locks, his eyes full of pawky cunning.
The Big Bow Mystery|I. Zangwill
One of my pawky friends once gave me a book called "Fishin' Jimmy."
Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-fourth Annual Meeting of the American Library Association Held at Ottawa, Canada June 26-July 2, 1912|Various
What a lot of quiet fun and pawky jokes there would be passing round.
Playing With Fire|Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr

Not that I know what pawky means, but it seems a word I ought to use at once, now we are on Scottish soil.
The Heather-Moon|C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for pawky

pawky

/ (ˈpɔːkɪ) /

adjective pawkier or pawkiest

Scot having or characterized by a dry wit

Derived Forms

pawkily, adverbpawkiness, noun

Word Origin for pawky

C17: from Scottish pawk trick, of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012