on the sly
Meaning: Secretly, so as not to be seen.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “He fed the neighbor's cat on the sly for weeks.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: "Sly" comes from a Norse word meaning cunning or skillful. The phrase is recorded from the early 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Spanish: a escondidillas — literally: at hidden-little-things
More idioms — Daily Life
- bail someone out — To rescue someone from trouble, especially by paying.
- a double-edged sword — Something with both good and bad consequences.
- blow the lid off — To expose a scandal or secret.
- be ahead of the game — To be in a better position than one's rivals.
- there are no two ways about it — The matter admits no doubt or alternative.
- a dime a dozen — So common as to be worth very little.
More English idioms
- small potatoes — Something unimportant or trivial.
- a dog's breakfast — A complete mess.
- not a peep — Not a sound, or not a word from someone.
- get out of hand — To become impossible to control.
- fire the starting gun — To signal the official start of something.
- come what may — Whatever happens.
From our untranslatable words
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- Koselig — Warmth, intimacy and ease at once — a room, a meal or an evening can be koselig, and so c…
- Harryhandel — The day trip over the border into Sweden to buy meat, sweets and drink far cheaper than a…