The old song I’ve Got a Crush on You has the line:
Could you coo, could you care
For a cunning cottage we could share?
Can someone tell me, what’s a cunning cottage?
A sneaky house?
A house where they tryst?
A secret place to bonk?
A cute little house.
From dictionary.com…
“Pretty or pleasing; as, a cunning little boy. [Colloq. U.S.] --Barlett”
So, surprise! Cunning means cute. I’ve never heard the word used that way before.
Was this perhaps common usage in the 1920’s?
Bummer. I preferred to think it was “A secret place to bonk”. 
I don’t know if this alternate meaning ever had widespread usage, but it is common up in Maine. My mom uses it all the time.