cagey
to not want to give information
TRANSLATION
cagey = verschlossen, raffiniert [gerissen], vorsichtig, gerissen, zugeknöpft, schlau cagey = ausweichend [Antwort, Bemerkung usw.] to be cagey about sth. = über etw. mit der Sprache nicht herauswollen [ausweichend antworten] to be very cagey about one's plans = mit seinen Absichten hinterm Berg halten --- GOOGLE INDEX 580,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Man United boss Louis van Gaal CAGEY on Ronaldo reports.
BBC News headline
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cagey
adjective
- reluctant to give information owing to caution or suspicion
(Oxford Dictionary)
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The origin of the word cagey is unknown. One obvious source to look to is the noun "cage," which can refer to a structure of bars or wires in which birds or other animals are confined, or a prison cell.
Cage, which is from the Old French cage, meaning a prison, retreat or hideout, eventually stems from the Latin "cavea," a hollow place, an enclosure for animals, a stall.
The theory here is that a caged animal, or person, tends to be very suspicious or wary of others, but there is no evidence that this is where the adjective cagey derived from, even though it was often used to describe boxers. In this context it's possible that cagey referred to the ring that the boxers fight in or perhaps it was applied in the sense of wary animals preparing to fight one another.
In any case, a cagey person might simply be cautious or secretive to avoid doing or saying the wrong thing (When asked about the acquisition rumours, the CEO was very cagey).
Being cagey can also be a sign of mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness. In this sense it's often associated with being shrewd or clever (He was cagey during the contract negotiations).
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SYNONYMS
careful, circumspect, crafty, cunning, leery, secretive, shrewd, sly, wary, wily
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO A CONVERSATION TODAY
say something like:
"The candidate was a bit cagey when I asked about he did during his year abroad"
adjective
- reluctant to give information owing to caution or suspicion
(Oxford Dictionary)
---
The origin of the word cagey is unknown. One obvious source to look to is the noun "cage," which can refer to a structure of bars or wires in which birds or other animals are confined, or a prison cell.
Cage, which is from the Old French cage, meaning a prison, retreat or hideout, eventually stems from the Latin "cavea," a hollow place, an enclosure for animals, a stall.
The theory here is that a caged animal, or person, tends to be very suspicious or wary of others, but there is no evidence that this is where the adjective cagey derived from, even though it was often used to describe boxers. In this context it's possible that cagey referred to the ring that the boxers fight in or perhaps it was applied in the sense of wary animals preparing to fight one another.
In any case, a cagey person might simply be cautious or secretive to avoid doing or saying the wrong thing (When asked about the acquisition rumours, the CEO was very cagey).
Being cagey can also be a sign of mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness. In this sense it's often associated with being shrewd or clever (He was cagey during the contract negotiations).
---
SYNONYMS
careful, circumspect, crafty, cunning, leery, secretive, shrewd, sly, wary, wily
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO A CONVERSATION TODAY
say something like:
"The candidate was a bit cagey when I asked about he did during his year abroad"
