Doodlingo

deft

what it means

Deft is skill you can see in the hands. Not strength and not effort — speed, lightness, and the sense that nothing is being forced. The drawing has a man holding a tower of cups on one fingertip, looking faintly bored by it. That is the tell: a deft person makes the hard thing look like nothing, and looks unbothered while doing it. Watch a nurse find a vein, a cook take the bones out of a fish, a friend change the subject a second before the argument starts. The word travelled a long way to get here. It shares a root with daft, and both once meant gentle; skill kept one, the fool kept the other.

Deft es la destreza que se ve en las manos. No es fuerza: es ligereza y velocidad, y la sensación de que nada cuesta. En el dibujo, un hombre sostiene una torre de tazas en la punta de un dedo, y hasta parece aburrido. Ese es el aviso: lo difícil parece nada. Sirve fuera de las manos también — una respuesta deft corta la discusión sin ofender a nadie.

Deft é a habilidade que se vê nas mãos. Não é força: é leveza e rapidez, e a sensação de que nada custa. No desenho, um homem equilibra uma torre de xícaras na ponta do dedo, quase entediado. É esse o sinal: o difícil parece fácil. Serve fora das mãos também — uma resposta deft encerra a briga sem ofender ninguém.

Deft, c'est l'adresse qu'on voit dans les mains. Pas la force : la légèreté et la vitesse, et l'impression que rien ne coûte. Sur le dessin, un homme tient une tour de tasses au bout d'un doigt, l'air presque ennuyé. Voilà le signe : le difficile a l'air de rien. Hors des mains aussi — une réponse deft met fin à la dispute sans vexer personne.

Deft adalah keterampilan yang terlihat di tangan. Bukan kekuatan, melainkan ringan dan cepat, seolah tidak ada yang berat. Di gambarnya, seorang pria menyeimbangkan menara cangkir di ujung jari, wajahnya malah bosan. Itu tandanya: yang sulit tampak mudah. Di luar tangan pun berlaku — jawaban yang deft menutup pertengkaran tanpa menyinggung siapa pun.

Deft, ellerde görünen ustalıktır. Güç değil; hafiflik ve hız — hiçbir şey zorlanmıyormuş gibi. Çizimde adam, bir kule dolusu fincanı tek parmağının ucunda tutuyor ve neredeyse sıkılmış görünüyor. İşaret bu: zor olan hiç gibi durur. Eller dışında da geçer; deft bir cevap kimseyi kırmadan tartışmayı bitirir.

Deft は、手つきに出る器用さです。力ではなく、軽さと速さ——どこにも力みがないこと。絵では、男がカップの塔を指先一本にのせ、しかも退屈そうな顔をしています。それが目印で、難しいことが何でもないように見えるのです。手だけの話でもありません。deft な返事は、誰も傷つけずに口論を終わらせます。

  1. 01

    adjective

    quick and neat in the way you move or handle something

    She peeled the fruit with one deft turn of the knife.

  2. 02

    adjective

    light and clever in the way you handle a situation

    A deft answer that ended the row without naming anyone.

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