English

Noun

smart cookie ‎(plural smart cookies)

1. (informal) An individual regarded as clever, astute, or judicious.
   • 1992, Eugene B. Fluckey, Thunder Below!: The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II, University of Illinois Press (1997), ISBN 0252066707, page 373:

     Newland, lead cook and a smart cookie, would find some way to feed them if they got stranded ashore.

   • 1998, Seth Goldstein, "DVD Not The Only Concern For Tape's Sell-Through Biz; DVD Packagers Roll 'Em Out", Billboard, 28 November 1998:

     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?

   • 2008, Douglas E. Egenolf, The Last Seasons: The Story of the Bird Hunter, Dog Ear Publishing (2008), ISBN 9781598587913, page 64:

     This dog was one smart cookie and was quickly picking up the game plan.

Citations

• For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:smart cookie.