a promising young apprentice
Showing promise, and likely to develop in a desirable fashion.
Encouraging and inspiring confidence.
The act of making a promise.
Showing clever resourcefulness in practical matters.
Sharp, snithy, piercing.
Streetwise, street-smart.
Knowledgeable, intelligent, keen.
Nigh accurate.
Artful, tricky or cunning.
Severe, intense, hard.