on the sly
English · Thesaurus
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on the sly
adverb
-
Slyly, in an inconspicuous manner, so as not to be seen; secretly; stealthily.
This diversion was enjoyed on the sly, and unknown to the ladies of the house.
Similar: clandestinely, furtively, on the down-low, on the quiet, on the Q.T.
Translations
Every language
adv slyly, in an inconspicuous manner, so as not to be seen; secretly; stealthily
| Español | de extranjis, de tapadillo, a escondidas, a escondidillas, a cencerros tapados, a lo zorro |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 偷偷 tōutōu, 悄悄 qiāoqiāo |
| Français | en douce, à la dérobée, en cachette, à la sauvette |
| Deutsch | heimlich |
| Русский | втихаря́ vtixarjá, исподтишка́ ispodtišká, тайко́м tajkóm, укра́дкой ukrádkoj, потихо́ньку potixónʹku, тихо́нько tixónʹko |
Talk about this word "on the sly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/on%20the%20sly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. on the sly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/on%20the%20sly "on the sly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/on%20the%20sly.Cite this
@misc{on_the_sly_2026,
title = {on the sly},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/on%20the%20sly},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
