indirect vs underhanded

indirect

adj
  • Not focused straight at the target or subject, but by more subtle means 

  • Not of obvious or immediate cause, but as a secondary result 

  • Not involving the quickest, shortest, or most convenient path 

noun
  • An indirect cost. 

  • An indirect radiator 

verb
  • To access by means of indirection; to dereference. 

underhanded

adj
  • Secret; surreptitious. 

  • Done by moving the hand (and arm) from below. 

  • Sly, dishonest, corrupt, cheating. 

  • Insincere; sarcastic. 

  • An underhanded compliment is actually criticism. 

  • His underhanded trick backfired and he was disqualified. 

  • Understaffed. 

noun
  • Devious people, collectively. 

adv
  • In an underhanded manner. 

How often have the words indirect and underhanded occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )