From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcannycan‧ny /ˈkæni/ adjective 1 INTELLIGENTclever, careful, and not easily deceived, especially in business or politics a canny political advisor2 NICEnice, good – used in Scotland a canny lass —cannily adverb
Examples from the Corpus
canny• If nothing else, Annaud proves himself a canny casting director with this movie.• Perhaps a canny distributor will see possibilities for three trendy niche markets, Japanism, environmentalism and feminism.• As always, the Liberals try to have it both ways, but they are up against canny farmers.• Pete Chambers is a canny fellow. Not one to miss an opportunity.• He had real charm, which made canny figures such as Tolkien distrust him.• They were the sturdy facade, the ulterior design for a very canny flow of resources.• Nerve cells, canny little things, recycle their neurotransmitters.• Robinson has benefited from some canny marketing.• Those who took his rewards, however, proved far cannier than their monarch.• She's far too canny to keep her money in this country. She's got it safely hidden away in Switzerland, I expect.Origin canny (1500-1600) → CAN1 