on the sly

English

Pronunciation

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Adverb

on the sly

1. (idiomatic) Slyly, in an inconspicuous manner, so as not to be seen; secretly; stealthily.
   • 1857, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Virginians, ch. 16:

     This diversion was enjoyed on the sly, and unknown to the ladies of the house.

Synonyms

• clandestinely
• furtively
• on the Q.T.

Translations

slyly, in an inconspicuous manner, so as not to be seen; secretly; stealthily

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 偷偷 (zh) (tōutōu), 悄悄 (zh) (qiāoqiāo)

• Finnish: vaivihkaa (fi), salaa (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: en douce (fr)
• Russian: втихаря́ (ru) (vtixarjá), исподтишка́ (ru) (ispodtišká), тайко́м (ru) (tajkóm), укра́дкой (ru) (ukrádkoj), потихо́ньку (ru) (potixónʹku), тихо́нько (ru) (tixónʹko)

Anagrams

• honestly