sleeveen n also sleiveen, sleveen, slieveen [phonetics unavailable]. EDD slieveen, var sleeveen, sleiveen sb 1 'rogue, rascal' Ir; JOYCE 326-7 'guileful fellow'; DINNEEN slighbhín 'a schemer, a trickster.' A sly deceitful man; a mean fellow; rascal; a mischieyous child.
[1929] 1949 ENGLISH 115 'Sleiveen' is a mean character. 1937 DEVINE 45 Sleveen. A sly fellow; a hypocrite; a bad man generally. T 54/8--64 'Pretty tough,' he said, 'my wife in bed with [another man]. I always knew he was a sleeveen.' 1968 DILLON 154 He's a real sleeveen, that fella. He'd steal the two eyes out o' your head. C 68-5 Some of those businessmen on Water Street are real sleeveens! C 71-127 (of a misbehaving child) You young sleeveen! 1977 RUSSELL 112 Those sleveens in Hartley's Harbour were just as bad then as they are now. 1981 GUY 15 This sleveen [of a doctor] we got now told me right to me face that three kinds of pills was enough for me.
