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pawky

[paw-kee]
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adjective, pawk·i·er, pawk·i·est. Chiefly British.
  1. cunning; sly.
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Origin of pawky

1670–80; Scots pawk trick + -y1
Related formspawk·i·ly, adverbpawk·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pawky

Historical Examples

  • The routhie bield that gars the gearIs gone where glint the pawky een.

    The Book of Humorous Verse

    Various

  • Then came to the West End a masterful man, a Scotchman, pawky and hard.

    Held for Orders

    Frank H. Spearman

  • It has a number of sweet Scottish verses, plaintive or pawky.

  • They say pawky means sorter cute an' cunnin', like in Scotch.

    Two Knapsacks

    John Campbell

  • The pawky barn boss, who possessed perfectly the art of tantalizing innuendo, thus stirred the bar-room pool to the depths.

    Laramie Holds the Range

    Frank H. Spearman

British Dictionary definitions for pawky

pawky

adjective pawkier or pawkiest
  1. Scot having or characterized by a dry wit
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Derived Formspawkily, adverbpawkiness, noun

Word Origin

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