wheedle

4 definitions found

wheedle - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Wheedle \Whee"dle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wheedled; p. pr. & vb.
     n. Wheedling.] [Cf. G. wedeln to wag with the tail, as a
     dog, wedel a fan, tail, brush, OHG. wadal; akin to G. wehen
     to blow, and E. wind, n.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. To entice by soft words; to cajole; to flatter; to coax.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The unlucky art of wheedling fools.   --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              And wheedle a world that loves him not. --Tennyson.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To grain, or get away, by flattery.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              A deed of settlement of the best part of her estate,
              which I wheedled out of her.          --Congreve.
        [1913 Webster]

  Wheedle \Whee"dle\, v. i.
     To flatter; to coax; to cajole.
     [1913 Webster]

wheedle - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  wheedle
      v 1: influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or
           flattering; "He palavered her into going along" [syn:
           wheedle, cajole, palaver, blarney, coax, sweet- talk
           , inveigle]

wheedle - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  50 Moby Thesaurus words for "wheedle":
     adulate, advocate, apply pressure, banter, beset, besiege,
     beslobber, beslubber, blandish, blarney, bug, buttonhole, cajole,
     call on, call upon, coax, compliment, con, conceit, dun,
     exert pressure, exhort, fawn upon, flatter, high-pressure,
     importune, insist, insist upon, jawbone, lobby, make fair weather,
     nag, nag at, oil the tongue, palaver, pester, plague, plead with,
     ply, praise, press, pressure, push, recommend, slobber over,
     soft-soap, sweet-talk, tease, urge, work on