adj. (colloquial).—1. Red-haired; cf., CARROTTY.
1828. G. GRIFFIN, The Collegians, ch. ii. Dunat O’Leary, the hair-cutter, or FOXY Dunat, as he was named in allusion to his red head.
2. (colloquial).—Cunning; vulpine in character and look. Once literary. Jonson (1605) calls his arch-foist VOLPONE, the second title of his play being ‘The Fox’; and Florio (1598) defines Volpone as ‘an old fox, an old reinard, an old, crafty, sly, subtle companion, sneaking, lurking, wilie deceiver.’
d. 1536. TYNDALE, Workes, p. 148. Oh FOXY Pharisay, that is thy leuen, of which Christ so diligently bad vs beware.
1849. DICKENS, David Copperfield, ch. xlix., p. 429. Whatever his state of health may be his appearance is FOXY, not to say diabolical.
3. (American cobblers’).—Repaired with new toe-caps. See FOX, verb, sense 8.
1877. S. L. CLEMENS (‘Mark Twain’), Life on the Mississippi, ch. lvii., p. 503. It was the scarecrow Dean—in FOXY shoes, down at the heels; socks of odd colours, also ‘down.’
4. (booksellers’).—A term applied to prints and books discoloured by damp; see FOX, verb, sense 6.
5. (painters’: obsolete).—Inclined to reddishness.
d. 1792. SIR J. REYNOLDS, Notes on Dufresnoy. That (style) of Titian, which may be called the Golden manner, when unskilfully managed, becomes what the painters call FOXY.
6. (common).—Strong-smelling. Said of a red-haired man or woman.
