What does ‘a smart cookie’ mean?
To “a smart cookie” means to a clever, capable person. A 20th-century American idiom; not in Brewer's 1898.
Origin
- A 20th-century American idiom; not in Brewer's 1898.
How to use it
- Informal compliment for someone shrewd.
- Example: Watch out — she's a smart cookie.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.