Wangling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The skillful acquisition of items or privileges often through deceit or trickery involves manipulating circumstances or individuals to fulfill one's own desires
2. A means of securing an advantage or benefit by using clever tactics or subterfuge includes navigating interpersonal dynamics to obtain goals
3. Achieving something by skilfully manipulating people or situations, often involving deceptive tactics

Etymology: "Wangling" is the present participle of "wangle", a verb that began in the early nineteenth century as a blend of "wag" and "dangle", both words describing things moving loosely back and forth. The sense of an object swinging or hanging unsteadily gave way over time to the idea of getting something done by working it loose, nudging matters this way and that until they yield. Some accounts instead trace the verb to an alteration of "waggle" or "wankle", which would tie it to the same family of wobbling, unsteady motion. The word's journey from physical swaying to social scheming is the centrepiece here. Someone who wangles a result is treating a situation the way one might jiggle a stuck drawer, pushing and shifting until it gives. The move from literal motion to the manipulation of people and circumstances is a short but telling step, and the word's sense of sly, quietly bent effort follows naturally from that origin.

Synonyms: manipulating, deceiving, coaxing