Adjective

(en adjective)

Easy, now especially in a disparaging sense; contemptibly easy.

* , vol.I, New York, 2001, p.243:

as he that is benumbed with cold sits shaking, that might relieve himself with a little exercise or stirring, do they complain, but will not use the facile and ready means to do themselves good […].

His facile disposition made him many friends.

Effortless, fluent (of work, abilities etc.).

* 1932 , (Duff Cooper), Talleyrand , Folio Society 2010, p. 54:

we can learn the impression that he made upon a stranger and a foreigner at this period, thanks to the facile pen of Fannu Burney.

* 1974 , (Graham Greene), (The Honorary Consul) , Pocket Books, New York, p.54:

"Discipline," Jorge Julio Saavedra was repeating, "is more necessary to me than to other more facile writers.

* 1990 , (Peter Hopkirk), The Great Game , Folio Society 2010, p. 372:

A facile and persuasive writer, he also turned out countless newspaper articles on Russian aims in Central Asia and how best these could be thwarted.

Lazy, simplistic (especially of explanations, discussions etc.).

* 2012 , (Chris Huhne), The Guardian , 3 May 2012:

There is a facile view that our green commitments – to tackling climate change, avoiding air and water pollution, protecting natural habitats – are an obstacle to growth. The message of the commodity markets is surely different.

(chemistry) Of a reaction or other process, taking place readily.

Decarboxylation of beta-keto acids is facile ...

Adjective

(en-adj)

Nimble with hands or body; skillful; adept.

* (Francis James Child) (collator), , 198: "Bonny John Seton",

The Highland men, they're clever men / At handling sword and shield,

Resourceful, sometimes to the point of cunning.

* 1890 , (Joseph Jacobs) (collator), '', ''English Fairy Tales ,

The youngest of the three strange lassies was called Molly Whuppie, and she was very clever . She noticed that before they went to bed the giant put straw ropes round her neck and her sisters', and round his own lassies' necks, he put gold chains. So Molly took care and did not fall asleep, but waited till she was sure every one was sleeping sound. Then she slipped out of the bed, and took the straw ropes off her own and her sisters' necks, and took the gold chains off the giant's lassies. She then put the straw ropes on the giant's lassies and the gold on herself and her sisters, and lay down.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-22, volume=407, issue=8841, page=70, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Engineers of a different kind , passage=Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.

Smart, intelligent, or witty; mentally quick or sharp.

* 1860 , (John Timbs), School-Days of Eminent Men , page 177,

has said of Bunyan: “though there were many clever men in England during the latter half of the seventeenth century, there were only two great creative minds. One of these minds produced ‘The Paradise Lost;’ the other, ‘The Pilgrim's Progress.’”

* 1912', (Fyodor Dostoevsky), (Constance Garnett) (translator), '''', Book V, Chapter 7: "It's Always Worth While Speaking to a ' Clever Man",

I would have sent Alyosha, but what use is Alyosha in a thing like that? I send you just because you are a clever fellow. Do you suppose I don't see that? You know nothing about timber, but you've got an eye.

* (rfdate), (Charles Kingsley), ,

Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever ; / Do noble things, not dream them all day long: / And so make life, death, and that vast forever / One grand, sweet song.

Showing inventiveness or originality; witty.

* 1816 , (Jane Austen), , Volume 1, Chapter 9,

Mr. Woodhouse was almost as much interested in the business as the girls, and tried very often to recollect something worth their putting in. "So many clever riddles as there used to be when he was young--he wondered he could not remember them! but he hoped he should in time." And it always ended in "Kitty, a fair but frozen maid."

* 1919 , , Chapter III,

I felt they expected me to say clever things, and I never could think of any till after the party was over.

* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=April 10, author=Alistair Magowan, work=BBC Sport

, title= Aston Villa 1-0 Newcastle , passage=Just before the break Villa were denied a second goal when Bent had the ball in the net, although he was ruled offside after Jean Makoun's clever pass.}}

*{{quote-magazine, date=2014-04-11, author= Ron Charles

, volume=190, issue=18, page=37, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= David Grand’s ‘Mount Terminus’ , passage=The Rosenbloom Loop is a clever' little device, but it’s an even more ' clever symbol of the role that discipline plays in the creation of illusion: the persistence of vision that makes sequential still images appear to move.}}

Possessing magical abilities.

* 1904 , Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, Vol. XXXVIII, page 255,

When a clever man is out hunting and comes across the tracks of, say, a kangaroo, he follows them along and talks to the footprints all the time for the purpose of injecting magic into the animal which made them.

* 1947 , Oceania, Volumes 16-17, page 330,

Prior to this, the two women, who were “clever ,” and possessed a certain amount of magical “power,”.

* 1991 , John & Sue Erbacher, Aborigines of the Rainforest ,

Fred is the clever fellow or tribal doctor who practises with the Kuku-Yalanji people. The tribal doctor’s work includes curing sickness, finding out the causes of death, predicting the future and making and stopping rain.

(label) Fit; suitable; having propriety.

* (Jonathan Swift) (1667–1745)

'Twould sound more clever / To me and to my heirs forever.

(label) Well-shaped; handsome.

* (John Arbuthnot) (1667-1735)

The girl was a tight, clever wench as any was.

Good-natured; obliging.