cooky

   Occasionally used by American speakers to an attractive young woman, though the term is more often used in third person reference. This slang meaning of ‘cookie’ derives from the word (British English ‘biscuit’). ‘Cookie’ is also used of men, in a phrase like ‘a smart cookie’, where it appears to be a simple synonym of ‘guy’. World So Wide, by Sinclair Lewis, says of an American man that ‘Nowadays he usually called Olivia “Sister”, “Cookie”, or “Helena Troy”.’ Olivia in this case is a woman friend of approximately the same age as the speaker. Lydia, by E.V. Cunningham, has an American cab-driver addressing a young woman as ‘cooky’. ‘Cookie/ cooky’ can also be a diminutive of the professional title ‘cook’.