smart cookie
noun1
Informal An individual regarded as clever, astute, or judicious.
- “Who is it, out there.” “I’m lost on the road can you tell me where I am.” “You’re right here, stranger. You got me out of bed. Clear off before I sprinkle your ass with buckshot.” “It’s a dire emergency.” “Don’t try to be a smart cookee stranger.”1963, J P Donleavy, A Singular Man, published 1963 (USA), page 182:
- Newland, lead cook and a smart cookie, would find some way to feed them if they got stranded ashore.1992, Eugene B. Fluckey, Thunder Below!: The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II, University of Illinois Press, published 1997, →ISBN, page 373:
2 more examples
- Is it a coincidence that Fox Home Entertainment, one smart cookie in sell-through, has designated the $170 million hit "There's Something About Mary" for rental?1998 November 28, Seth Goldstein, “DVD Not The Only Concern For Tape's Sell-Through Biz; DVD Packagers Roll 'Em Out”, in Billboard:
- This dog was one smart cookie and was quickly picking up the game plan.2008, Douglas E. Egenolf, The Last Seasons: The Story of the Bird Hunter, Dog Ear Publishing, published 2008, →ISBN, page 64: