as sly as a fox
Deviously clever comparison
A simile describing someone clever, cunning, or craftily deceptive.
Foxes have long symbolized wiliness in folklore, known for outwitting hunters and raiding henhouses.
The phrase typically carries grudging admiration rather than pure criticism: He's as sly as a fox—got the whole deal restructured in his favor before anyone noticed.
Skilled at deception
- craftyCleverly deceptive
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- artfulCleverly deceptive
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
shrewd · devious · cagey · conniving · underhanded · sneaky · subtle · manipulative
Cunning deceiver in myth
- ruseDeliberate act of deception
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
- deceitDeliberate misleading of others
- artificeClever deceptive strategy
feint · duplicity · chicanery · stratagem · gambit · wiles · dissembling · pretense
Fast at thinking
- astuteMentally sharp, discerning
- sharpFine-edged, or astute
- resourcefulSkilled at solving problems
- ingeniousCleverly original in design
savvy · perceptive · keen · smart · bright · inventive · sharp-witted · adroit
Intentionally concealed
- secretiveInclined to conceal
- furtiveSecretive and sly
- stealthySecretly cautious in movement
- elusiveHard to find
undetected · shadowy · silent · inconspicuous · under the radar · low-profile · catlike · unseen
wily
Skilled at deception
calculating · shrewd · devious · cagey · conniving · underhanded · sneaky · subtle · manipulative · insidious
vulpine
Resembling a fox
tail · whiskers · fur · kits · burrow · vixen · nocturnal · predator · camouflage · stealthy
trickster
Cunning deceiver in myth
- ruseDeliberate act of deception
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
- deceitDeliberate misleading of others
artifice · feint · duplicity · chicanery · stratagem · gambit · wiles · dissembling · pretense · bluff
quick-witted
Fast at thinking
- astuteMentally sharp, discerning
- sharpFine-edged, or astute
- resourcefulSkilled at solving problems
ingenious · savvy · perceptive · keen · smart · bright · inventive · sharp-witted · adroit · deft
covert
Intentionally concealed
elusive · undetected · shadowy · silent · inconspicuous · under the radar · low-profile · catlike · unseen · unnoticed
as sly as a foxdim-witted
Lacking intelligence or quickness
thick-headed · simple-minded · slow-witted · dense · obtuse
as sly as a foxnaive
Innocently unsuspecting
guileless · simple-minded · innocent · gullible · unsophisticated
foxy, slyness, outfox, outfoxed, foxlike, outfoxing, sliest, outfoxes