Re: what is "low cunning"

jinhyunshyam@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
hi.can anyone tell me what "low cunning" means.it appears from the
contexts in which i have heard this phrase that its meaning isnt really
derivative from the meanings of low or cunning but that it is a noun
phrase meaning something logically simple i.e even though it is
syntactically two words it is really just one word.


Good one. It's one of those phrases that I've used, and heard used, but never really thought about because it's "obvious".

Cunning is inventive deceptiveness. That is certainly the basis of the phrase. But the "low" part is quite subtle. It implies cheating ("a blow below the belt"), low moral standards, but also low status or intelligence- it implies that the deception is the more reprehensible because it is unworthy of respect.

So in the example given, the first speaker's direct approach is contrasted with Granny's manoeuvring to get her way by roundabout means.

Paul Burke
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