wheedle

wheedle (one) into (doing something)

To cajole, flatter, or plead with one in order to convince one to do something. I can't believe I let you wheedle me into working for your charity auction again this year. He's always wheedling other people in the office into doing the quarterly reports for him.
See also: wheedle

wheedle (one) out of (something)

To cajole, flatter, beg, or beguile one in order to obtain or steal something from them. He's just a piece of lowly scum who spends his time wheedling pensioners out of their savings over the phone. I can't believe I let Seth wheedle me out of my favorite pencil case!
See also: of, out, wheedle

wheedle (something) away from (one)

To obtain or steal something from one through cajolery, flattery, pleading, or beguilement. I hate these pushy charity workers, trying to wheedle every last cent away from you that they can. After begging and pleading, the kids finally wheedled the car away from me for the weekend.
See also: away, wheedle

wheedle (something) out of (one)

To obtain or steal something from one through cajolery, flattery, pleading, or beguilement. I hate these pushy charity workers, trying to wheedle every last cent out of you that they can. After begging and pleading, the kids finally wheedled the car out of me for the weekend.
See also: of, out, wheedle
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

wheedle someone into something

to get someone to agree to do something by begging or flattery. She is always trying to wheedle us into coming for a visit. You can't wheedle me into doing that!
See also: wheedle

wheedle something away from someone

 and wheedle something out of someone
to get something away from someone by begging or flattery. The crooks wheedled the old lady's money away from her. Tim wheedled a few dollars out of his uncle.
See also: away, wheedle
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

wheedle out of

v.
1. To obtain something from some person through the use of flattery or guile: The swindler wheedled my life savings out of me.
2. To defraud someone of something through the use of flattery or guile: The swindler wheedled me out of my life savings.
See also: of, out, wheedle
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • (one) could use (something)
  • give (one) (one's) head
  • give head
  • give somebody their head
  • give someone their head
  • drive (one) out of office
  • force (one) out of office
  • force out of office
  • cooking for one
  • 1FTR
References in periodicals archive
The rest of us, mostly freelance writers from lowlier magazines, had to wheedle airfare from our editors or pay for the first leg of the trip ourselves.
All Expenses Paid
Told in retaliation for the Friar's unflattering portrait of a summoner, this earthy tale describes a hypocritical friar's attempt to wheedle a gift from an ailing benefactor.
Summoner's Tale, The
El Sub wasn't a real revolutionary--or he wouldn't be trying to wheedle the government like a dog begging a bone.
What happened to the Mexican left?
One, to exploit them and wheedle even more money from the people who've already made him stinking rich, and two, because this Geordie boy from the streets of Wallsend wants to ram home to people less fortunate how well he's done and how far removed from them he is now.
It's just not nice to Sting loyal fans
SO the Birmingham Mail sees fit to give credence (Our Say, March 15) to the latest manoeuvre by the Church of Scientology to wheedle their way into the lives of Birmingham people.
Beware Scientology; views
I realise there are some genuine claimants injured in car accidents out there but the proposed new system sounds like it would wheedle out those just "trying it on" for a few quid.
? NEWS that the Justice [...]; You Say Email:letters@liverpoolecho.co.uk
Producers will need to work hard to wheedle out the fame-hungry from the career focused.
SIMON NOT SO SIMPLE; the wise man of tv
IF some dealer targeted your child, managing to wheedle his way into your home and sell them his highly-addictive and cripplingly expensive wares, you might react rather angrily.
Wicked tirade in our living rooms
Good on Threshers for honouring the vouchers when many a miserly company would have tried to wheedle out of it.
Record View: Offy nice of them
I believe that O'Leary wanted a quiet period of consolidation this season, then a concerted effort to wheedle more money out of Doug Ellis than he expected a few months back, to get a higher standard of players in.
PAT MURPHY: Not quite to plan for O'Leary
"We would have had more chance of truth coming out of Josef Stalin's Kremlin than we will ever wheedle out of the Labour Government on this issue."
Institute of Directors' support welcomed
She catches up with Elton John in a record show, Michael Parkinson in his office, Roger Moore at a showbiz party and Ruby Wax at home and tries to wheedle out their secrets.
TV; TONIGHT'S HIGHLIGHTS
Now he is consigned to the wastelands of the early show on Radio Norwich while he tries to wheedle his way back to real stardom with an oiliness that only Partridge can attain.
Ah ha! Partridge ruffles a few feathers; VIDEOSCENE
One minute he seems to heed Ross's urgency about leaving; the next he's letting Bosie wheedle him into staying.
The Judas Kiss
Instead he has tried to wheedle his way out of it, which, perhaps, highlights exactly what's wrong with politics and politicians.
Don't say one thing while believing another