The Only Use
coy
in
A Midsummer Night's Dream
(Auto-generated)
- TITANIA Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed, While I thy amiable cheeks do coy, And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head, And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy.†
Scene 4.1
Definitions:
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(1)
(coy) playfully shy or subtly flirtatious; and/or, deliberately evasive to avoid giving information or making a commitmentWriters often use coy when someone acts shy or innocent in a playful way, while being aware of the effect—like giving a coy smile.
The word can also describe being deliberately evasive or withholding information, as in a coy answer that dodges the real question or a coy response that modestly downplays an accomplishment.
In many cases, the person is both playful and withholding at once, as when teasing someone with coy hints about a surprise without revealing what it is. - (2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)