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Forum_mail Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary

different meaning of 'smart'

Hello there,

How do I know whether the word 'smart' means 'intelligent' or 'clever, crafty, cunning' in the following sentence?

'He's a really smart guy'

best wishes

ps. and by the way - whay's a filing room, and law offices?
  

Top answer

You don't, without examining the context. However, it usually means 'intelligent'. A filing room is a room full of file cabinets, where all the files are kept.

  • You don't, without examining the context.
  • However, it usually means 'intelligent'.
  • A filing room is a room full of file cabinets, where all the files are kept.
  • A law office is the place of business of a lawyer.
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3 Answers
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You don't, without examining the context. However, it usually means 'intelligent'.

A filing room is a room full of file cabinets, where all the files are kept. A law office is the place of business of a lawyer.
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so in some contexts 'smart' can have this negative meaning, like 'crafty' ?
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A crafty person can be (and usually is) smart but smart generally carries only a positive conotation in and of itself. Using context, however, it may be negative.

The bank robber was smart enough to outwit the police. In this instance, smart does mean crafty.

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