deftly

From deft +‎ -ly.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛftli/

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deftly (comparative more deftly, superlative most deftly)

1. In a deft manner; quickly and neatly in action.
   • 1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 8, in Pollyanna‎^[1], L.C. Page, →OCLC:

     For five minutes Pollyanna worked swiftly, deftly, combing a refractory curl into fluffiness, perking up a drooping ruffle at the neck, or shaking a pillow into plumpness so that the head might have a better pose. Meanwhile the sick woman, frowning prodigiously, and openly scoffing at the whole procedure, was, in spite of herself, beginning to tingle with a feeling perilously near to excitement.

   • 1970, John Grissim, Country Music: White Man's Blue‎^[2], page 52:

     […] and proceeds to deftly execute an over-the-falls, a cat's cradle and two around-the-worlds

   • 2009 January 2, “Movie Listings”, in New York Times:

     Set in Amritsar, “Rab” reteams the director Aditya Chopra with Shahrukh Khan, Hindi cinema's reigning superstar, and the two deftly and winningly blend comedy and melodrama.

   • 2009 July 5, Rob Salem, “Been there, done that, seen it all? Here are a few surprises”, in Toronto Star‎^[3]:

     Being Erica: Though not perhaps technically a traditional "sitcom," it is a rather unique situation and often very deftly comic, courtesy of Michael Riley and breakout star Erin Karpluk […]

• skillfully

• unskillfully

• flyted