Literal translation
it's a fine blade
Meaning
he's a sharp, cunning fellow
Explanation
The expression names someone cunning, skillful, and shrewd, able to outmaneuver others through sharpness of mind. Literally, es uno fino lamo translates as it's a fine blade: the image, transparent and identical in French as in Provençal, borrows from fencing or cutlery, where a thin, well honed blade cuts with precision where a thick one would be clumsy. Applied to a person, the metaphor highlights quickness of wit and the knack for slipping out of any situation, sometimes with a touch of admiration shaded by wariness, since cunning is not always put to good use. The register is ordinary, used to praise someone's cleverness as readily as to warn against a skillful negotiator or a sharp strategist. The adjective fino here carries the sense of subtle, keen, extending the literal meaning of the fineness of a blade or tool.