on the sly
Related to on the sly: get on, fall apart, catch up, stay put, turn up, called off
on the sly
Secretly; in a clandestine or furtive manner. Even though he said he'd quit smoking, he still kept up the habit on the sly. The senator had been taking bribes from lobbyists on the sly for years before he was caught.
See also: on, sly
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
on the sly
Fig. secretly and deceptively. She was stealing little bits of money on the sly. Martin was having an affair with the maid on the sly.
See also: on, sly
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
on the sly
Furtively, secretly, as in She's always eating cookies on the sly. The adjective sly, which means "cunning" or "crafty," is here used as a noun. [c. 1800]
See also: on, sly
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
do something on the ˈsly
do something secretly: She didn’t seem to have much appetite for dinner. I wonder if she’s been eating chocolates on the sly? OPPOSITE: (out) in(to) the openSee also: on, sly, something
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
on the sly
mod. secretly and deceptively. She was stealing little bits of money on the sly.
See also: on, sly
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
on the sly
In a way intended to escape notice: took extra payments on the sly.
See also: on, sly
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
on the sly
Secretly, furtively. This early-nineteenth-century term appeared in a letter of John Keats’s (1818): “It might have been a good joke to pour on the sly bottle after bottle into a washing tub.” It remains current.
See also: on, sly
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- do something on the sly
- spied
- spies
- spy
- spy on
- spy on (someone or something)
- glance away
- sneak up
- sneak up (on someone or something)
- sneak up on