Pawkie
/ˈpɔːki/noun
A Scots adjective meaning shrewd, sly, crafty, or subtly clever.
Did you know?Pawkie comes from Scots pawk, meaning a trick or stratagem, but the deeper origin of pawk remains uncertain in historical dictionaries.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English or Older Scots
English/Scots
pawk
“A trick, deception, or stratagem; the precise earlier origin is uncertain.”
16th Century
Scots
pawk
“A sly trick or device, and sometimes a crafty or deceitful person.”
16th–17th Century
Scots
pawky
“Cunning, sly, shrewd, or artfully deceptive.”
18th Century
Scots
pawkie
“A spelling variant of pawky, retaining the sense of subtly clever or crafty.”
Modern Scots and Scottish English
Scots/English
pawkie
“Shrewd, sly, or wittily crafty, often with an undertone of playful deception.”