Definition of "slyboots"

But Truth is such a flyaway, such a slyboots, so untransportable and unbarrelable a commodity, that it is as bad to catch as light.

1838 July 24, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Literary Ethics. An Oration Delivered before the Literary Societies of Dartmouth College, July 24, 1838”, in J[ames] E[lliot] Cabot, editor, Nature, Addresses, and Lectures (Emerson’s Complete Works; I), Riverside edition, London: The Waverley Book Company, published 1883, page 166

"Oh, you sly-boots!" says the Countess. "Guess you come after the old lady's money!"

1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “Troubles and Consolations”, in The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume II, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1859, page 283

You're such a slyboots, old cocky. I could kiss you.

1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 15]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […]

Peter: All we gotta do is tell a little white lie. Just go with it. [dials phone] Is this the Grant-a-Dream Foundation? My son Chris is dying!Chris: Holy crap, no! Oh, my God!Peter: That was the lie.Chris: Oh, you slyboots.

2000 April 4, Chris Sheridan, “If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin'”, in Family Guy, season 2, episode 9

This slyboots took me for a ton of money, made me do whatever she wanted.

2004, Umberto Eco, Geoffrey Brock, transl., The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, New York, N.Y.: Harvest/Harcourt, page 54

Cruz was obviously analogizing Bernie Sanders to the Bolsheviks and Hillary Clinton to the Mensheviks. The oleaginous Texan is an erudite slyboots, but his history is off-kilter.

2015 November 1, Hendrik Hertzberg, “That G.O.P. Debate: Two Footnotes”, in The New Yorker‎