Wheedle

Wheedle is a verb that means to coax through flattery. The German word wedeln (VEE den) means ‘wag the tail’ which is often a euphemism of ‘flatter.’ After entering English in the 17th century, our word of the day has come tom means ‘to persuade or coax with flattery.’ It was easy to wheedle other members of the board into scheduling more parties. All I had to do was convince them how much I would enjoy the company of such effervescent personalities on a regular basis. You’d be surprised how far you can get with a little flattery.