Other forms: wheedling, wheedled, wheedles
To wheedle is to coax somebody into giving way by flattering them. Sweet words until they say yes.
The word disapproves, since wheedling is persuasion by charm rather than by argument, and there is always something slightly dishonest about it. It takes out of, so you wheedle money out of somebody. Children and salesmen do it in equal measure. A wheedling tone is the wheedle heard rather than seen, and it is a common description in fiction. Cajole is the near synonym and coax is the friendlier one.
1verbwheedleTo persuade someone by flattery or coaxing.
“He wheedled another ten pounds out of his father.”
Old High German
wādalōn — to wander, roam, rove
Middle High German
wedelen
German
wedeln — to wag one's tail
Proto-Germanic
*wēþlōną — to be in need
Old English
wǣdlian — to be poor, be needy, be in want, beg
Middle English
wedlen — to beg, ask for alms
English, today
wheedle
unknown. Perhaps continuing Middle English wedlen (“to beg, ask for alms”), from Old English wǣdlian (“to be poor, be needy, be in want, beg”), from Proto-Germanic wēþlōną (“to be in need”). Alternatively, borrowed from German wedeln (“to wag one's tail”), from Middle High German wedelen, a byform of Middle High German wadelen (“to wander, waver, wave, whip, stroke, flutter”), from Old High German wādalōn (“to wander, roam, rove”). In this case, it may be a a doublet of waddle, or an independently formed etymological equivalent. The ⟨wh⟩ spelling (reflecting pronunciations with /ʍ/) is apparently unetymological.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA