schlau
adj · /ʃlaʊ̯/ ·Etymology
Borrowed from Middle Low German slû, whence probably also Dutch sluw. Further origin uncertain. Probably from a Proto-Germanic *slūhaz (“sneaking, creeping”), which seems to trace back to a Proto-Indo-European *(s)lewǵ- (“to crawl, slide”) (albeit without any known extra-Germanic cognates), if the original sense referred to sneaking and sliding. Related to Dutch sluiken (“to creep, smuggle, act clandestinely”). In spite of the near-identity in meaning and form, English sly is in all likelihood not related.
Translation
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clever in a way that enables one to achieve one's goals; slightly sly or cunning (but not usually implying any evil intentions)
Ich werde überhaupt nicht schlau aus dem, was du sagst.
I can not make out at all what you say.
Er kann nicht schlau sein, wenn er so etwas vermasselt.
He can't be smart if he can screw up something like that.
Jill ist sowohl schlau als auch hübsch.
Jill is smart as well as pretty.
- artful source:freedict-eng-deu-dictd
- canny source:wikdict-en-de-stardict
- crafty source:dictcc-tuchemnitz-de-en
- bright, intelligent, clever (with no such overtone at all) informal