# 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.

## What it means

- A 20th-century American idiom; not in Brewer's 1898.

## Action steps

1. Informal compliment for someone shrewd.
2. Example: Watch out — she's a smart cookie.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

---
Canonical: https://bestidiomanswers.com/answers/a-smart-cookie
Author: Best Idiom Answers — https://bestidiomanswers.com
Publisher: Best Idiom Answers
Published: 2026-07-18T04:16:35.689728+00:00
Modified: 2026-07-18T04:16:35.689728+00:00
Last verified: 2026-07-18
License: Citation License 1.0 — https://bestexpertanswers.com/license
© Adolicious LLC