sub -dŏlus, a, um, adj., somewhat crafty, cunning, sly, subtle, deceptive, or deceitful (mostly ante-class. and post-Aug.; syn.: fallax, astutus): homo et sycophanta et subdolus, Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 72; id. Mil. 2, 4, 2; id. Men. 3, 2, 24; id. Aul. 2, 5, 8; id. Poen. 5, 2, 129: ut viro subdola sies, memento, id. Cas. 4, 4, 5: subdola adversus senem, id. Ep. 2, 3, 13: jugurtha, cognitā vanitate legati, subdolus ejus augere amentiam, Sall. J. 38, 1: occultus ac subdolus fingendis virtutibus, Tac. A. 6, 51.
Transf., of things: animus audax, subdolus, varius, Sall. C. 5, 4: subdolus ac versutus animus, Vell. 2, 102, 1: mendacia, Plaut. Capt. 3, 3, 5: perfidia, id. Mil. 3, 3, 68: oratio, * Caes. B. G. 7, 31: lingua, Ov. A. A. 1, 598: modestia, Tac. A. 6, 20 et saep.: pellacia ponti, Lucr. 2, 560; 5, 1003; cf.: ea loci forma incertis vadis subdola et nobis adversa, Tac. H. 5, 14: tendit rete subdolum turdis, Mart. 3, 58, 26.
Adv.: subdŏlē, somewhat craftily, cunningly, or deceitfully: subdole blanditur, Plaut. Trin. 2, 1, 12: nihil subdole, nihil versute, Cic. Brut. 9, 35.