Being workshy, lied cunningly (4)
I believe the answer is:
idle
'being workshy' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'lied cunningly' is the wordplay.
'cunningly' indicates an anagram (a cunning or tricky form of the letters).
'lied' is an anagram of 'IDLE'.
(Other definitions for idle that I've seen before include "Maybe Eric" , "Tick over like engine" , "no longer employed?" , "Ineffectual" , "Dormant" .)