What Does It Mean To Be A Smooth Operator?

          Someone calls you a 'smooth operator' then that's sort of a compliment about your being able to handle something well.Suppose there's something you did wrong and while you were just about to be caught, you did something that took the blame off you. Now you would be a 'smooth operator' for handling things well.
          
          Suppose you are a cop and you get the criminals behind the bars by working in a very smooth way, then again you would be a 'smooth operator.'It can be taken as a compliment when you have done something really well for yourself or someone else.

          Suppose you've done something wrong and the other person uses these two words sarcastically then they mean that you've been handling things in a way that they didn't even notice what you were up to. It would still be a compliment but not mean something good since they are calling you crooked.
          
          These two words can be used as compliments and as sarcasm both.
You usually get to hear these words a lot in movies and now they have become a part of our daily lives too.Its a cool term, really.