(a.) Arch; cunning; sly.

Byzantine Machiavellian Machiavellic acute arch artful astute cagey calculating canny careful cautious circumspect clever crafty cunning cute deceitful deep deep-laid deliberate designing devious difficult diplomatic discreet feline finical finicking finicky finikin foxy fuss-budgety fussy gingerly guarded guileful hard to please heedful hesitant ingenious insidious inventive judicious knowing leaving out nothing mindful noncommittal on guard overlooking no possibility pernickety persnickety politic prudent queasy ready regardful resourceful safe scheming serpentine sharp shifty shrewd slick slippery slow to act sly smooth snaky sneaky sophistical squeamish stealthy strategic subtile subtle supple tactical tentative thorough trickish tricksy tricky unadventurous uncommunicative undaring unenterprising unprecipitate vulpine wary wily