Definition of "knavish" []

• Having the characteristics of a knave; mischievous, roguish, waggish, rascally or impertinent (adjective)

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• "St. Louis's extreme severity towards what he called the knavish oath (_vilain serment_), that is, blasphemy, an offence for which there is no definition save what is contained in the bare name of it, is, perhaps, the most striking indication of the state of men's minds, and especially of the king's, in this respect."
• "And he took the hollow lyre and laid it in his sacred cradle, and sprang from the sweet-smelling hall to a watch-place, pondering sheer trickery in his heart — deeds such as knavish folk pursue in the dark night-time; for he longed to taste flesh."
• "And he took the hollow lyre and laid it in his sacred cradle, and sprang from the sweet-smelling hall to a watch-place, pondering sheer trickery in his heart -- deeds such as knavish folk pursue in the dark night-time; for he longed to taste flesh."