Wheedle

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈwiː.d_É™l/

Origin

Origin uncertain. Possibly from Old English waedlian ("to beg"). Another possible source is German wedeln, to wag, from Old High German wedil, wadil, tail.

Full definition of wheedle

Verb

1. To cajole or attempt to persuade by flattery.
• 1977, Geoffrey Chaucer, ("The Wife of Bath's Tale"), Penguin Classics, p. 290:Though he had beaten me in every bone
  He still could wheedle me to love.
2. I'd like one of those, too, if you can wheedle him into telling you where he got it.
3. To obtain by flattery, guile, or trickery.
• CongreveA deed of settlement of the best part of her estate, which I wheedled out of her.

Anagrams

• wheeled