“Are you crafty” is a confusing question. “Craft” ( arte, artesanía) you may know. Crafty has many uses, so the context is important.
To be crafty (adjective) is to have good skills or craftmanship (destreza) at manual activities. An example:
- Noor is quite crafty: she knits beautifully or very well (…teje maravillosamente).
Crafty (astuto, pícaro, artero, ladina, taimado) has another meaning. It refers to mortals that are very clever, sometimes in a manipulative context. Sometimes “crafty” can mean devious (taimado). Also, foxes (zorros) are known to be crafty, as can be other animals.
Examine these examples:
- Mr. Johnson, the British Prime Minister, has a very crafty way of changing the rules when it suits him (…tiene una forma de hábil de cambiar las reglas según le conviene).
- Mr. Casado, the Opposition Leader, asked Mr Sanchez, the Spanish Prime Minister, some very crafty questions (preguntas arteras).
- Mr. Putin, the Russian President, is always using crafty schemes (… siempre está utilizando astutas intrigas) to expand Russia.
- Mr. Morales is a crafty negotiator (negociador astuto).
So, some mortals are crafty and crafty!
