wheel and deal

To proactively and frequently pursue business deals or other actions of benefit to oneself or one's organization through the building and leveraging of contacts and relationships, especially in a prolific, aggressive, or unscrupulous way. You can't just expect to move up in the workplace without making some contacts. You have to wheel and deal a little. Nothing gets done on Capitol Hill without a lot of people wheeling and dealing. It's just how politics is.

The act of proactively and frequently pursuing business deals or other actions of benefit to oneself or one's organization through the building and leveraging of contacts and relationships, especially in a prolific, aggressive, or unscrupulous way. Nothing gets done on Capitol Hill without a lot of wheeling and dealing. It's just how politics is. You need to cool it with the wheeling and dealing and just let the process work as it is supposed to. You'll be judged on your qualifications, not who you know.

to take part in clever (but sometimes dishonest or immoral) business deals. John loves to wheel and deal in the money markets. Jack got tired of all the wheeling and dealing of big business and retired to run a pub in the country.

Operate or manipulate for one's own interest, especially in an aggressive or unscrupulous way. For example, Bernie's wheeling and dealing has made him rich but not very popular. This term comes from gambling in the American West, where a wheeler-dealer was a heavy bettor on the roulette wheel and at cards. [Colloquial; c. 1940]

If someone wheels and deals, they use a lot of different methods and contacts to achieve what they want in business or politics. He still wheels and deals around the globe. Note: This kind of activity can be called wheeling and dealing. He hates the wheeling and dealing associated with political life. Note: This expression is often used to show that you think someone is behaving dishonestly.

To engage in the advancement of one's own interests, especially in a canny, aggressive, or unscrupulous way.

To operate or manipulate for one’s own profit. According to at least one writer, a “wheeler-dealer” was a heavy bettor on the roulette wheel and cards in the American West. However, the OED lists its first citation as approximately 1960 and suggests it comes from an important person being “a wheel” or “big wheel.” R. Dentry used it in Encounter at Kharmel (1971), “In other words, if we agree to shut up, you’ll wheel and deal some pin money for us.” The principal meaning today is to engage in scheming and shrewd bargaining.