Also 7 whed(d)le, 7–9 wheadle. [Origin obscure. Possibly a survival in a specialized application of OE. wǽdlian to beg, orig. to be poor, f. wǽdl poverty.]
1. trans. To entice or persuade by soft flattering words; to gain over or take in by coaxing or cajolery.
1661. Blount, Glossogr. (ed. 2), Whead or Wheadle, is a late word of fancy, and signifies to draw one in, by fair words or subtile insinuation, to act any thing of disadvantage or reproof.
1668. Shadwell, Sullen Lovers, IV. 52. Come Sir, don’t think to Wheadle me at this rate!
1675. Tully, Lett. to Baxter, 23. To be wheadl’d with bare Talke.
1726. De Foe, Hist. Devil, I. i. (1840), 12. He wheedled Eve, deluded Adam.
1814. Wordsw., Excurs., II. 254. Smooth words he had to wheedle simple souls.
1850. Dickens, Dav. Copp., xxxii. He was crossing you and wheedling you.
1888. Bryce, Amer. Commw., xxxix. II. 78. The citizens are too numerous to be all wheedled or threatened.
b. with various preps. and advs., or with inf.: To bring into a specified condition by such action.
1667. Leathermore: Advice conc. Gaming (1668), 6–7. If the Winner be bubbleable, they will … wheadle him into play and win all his Money.
1669. Worlidge, Syst. Agric. (1681), 247. By laying the Net in such haunts, and wheedling them [sc. pigeons, etc.] in by a Stale.
1672. Marvell, Reh. Transp., I. 129. To wheedle one almost to make himself away.
1673. Dryden, Amboyna, Prol. Religion wheedled you to Civil War.
1687. in Magd. Coll. (O. H. S.), 167. They were wheedled off of it by some few sugar words.
1722. De Foe, Col. Jack, i. (1840), 12. The major … was wheedled away by a couple of young rogues. Ibid. (1726), Hist. Devil, I. i. (1840), 12. How he wheedled the people … into the absurd … undertaking of building a Babel.
1860. Dickens, Uncomm. Trav., i. I … should have no idea … how to wheedle a man into ordering something he doesn’t want.
1869. Mrs. Stowe, Oldtown Folks, xl. (1870), 467. He has a tongue that could wheedle a bird out of a tree.
1876. C. M. Davies, Unorth. Lond. (ed. 2), 18. Whom he wheedled over not to betray him.
1891. Kipling, Light that Failed, xii. 232. I have seen you wheedle an angry Mahdieh woman into giving you dates.
2. To do (a person) out of a thing, or to get (a thing) out of a person, by such action.
1670. Wood, Life (O.H.S.), II. 196. The M[asters] are whedled out of one [Act].
1700. Congreve, Way of World, III. xviii. I have already a deed of Settlement of the best part of her Estate; which I wheadl’d out of her.
1759. Franklin, Hist. Penn., Wks. 1840, III. 529. These proprietaries … would have either bullied or wheedled the inhabitants out of the privileges they were born to.
1816. Scott, Antiq., iii. I wheedled an old woman out of these [ballads]. Ibid. (1831), Cast. Dang., xi. I suffered the abbess to wheedle the secret out of me.
1886. Stevenson, Kidnapped, xxiv. Wheedling my money from me while I lay half conscious.
3. absol. or intr. To use soft flattering words; (of an animal) to fawn; † to wheedle in with, to curry favor with; † to wheedle with = sense 1.
1664. Butler, Hud., II. iii. 335. His bus’ness was to pump and wheedle.
1712. Hearne, Collect. (O. H. S.), III. 290. Lancaster goes down to the Dean of Xt. Church, and began to wheedle with him.
1716. Swift, Phyllis, 87. Johnny wheedled, threaten’d, fawn’d, Till Phyllis all her trinkers pawn’d.
1726. De Foe, Hist. Devil, II. i. (1840), 183. Secretly wheedling in with the dignified clergy.
1811. Ora & Juliet, I. 294. She wheedled with the housekeeper, till she insured a glass of cordial from her.
1847. Tennyson, Princ., V. 151. Wheedling and siding with them!
1865. Swinburne, Poems & Ball., Satia te Sanguine, xiv. As a tame beast writhes and wheedles.
b. Cant. = WHIDDLE v.
1710. Palmer, Proverbs, 197. Sing in the Proverb, is the same that our Newgate-Birds call Wheedle; which is, when one of the Gang Tattles, Confesses, and Accuses the Rest.
Hence Wheedled ppl. a.; Wheedling vbl. sb. and ppl. a. (chiefly of conduct, manner, etc.); whence Wheedlingly adv.; also Wheedler; Wheedlery, wheedling; Wheedlesome, Wheedly adjs., of a wheedling character.
1675. R. Head, Proteus Rediv., 226. His gulled or *Wheedled Patient.
1773. Ainsworth’s Lat. Dict., II. Delinitor,… a cajoler, or *wheedler.
a. 1861. T. Winthrop, Life in Open Air (1863), 41. Smith, wheedler of trout.
1868. Louisa M. Alcott, Little Women, xiv. You get everything you want out of people…. You are a born wheedler.
1909. ‘G. G.,’ Winkles, 58. The fond daughter continued her *wheedleries.
1863. Louisa M. Alcott, Hosp. Sk., etc., 94. Anything more irresistibly *wheedlesome I never saw.
1674. R. Head, Jackson’s Recant., B j b. Incomparable at the Art of *wheedling, which some call Complaisance.
1702. Pope, Wife of Bath, 163. By murm’ring, wheedling, stratagem, and force, I still prevail’d.
1837. Dickens, Pickw., v. Notwithstanding all kinds of coaxing and wheedling, there were Mr. Winkle and the horse going round and round each other for ten minutes.
1859. Meredith, R. Feverel, xxxi. Wheedling availed as little as argument.
1668. Shadwell, Sullen Lovers, IV. 60. Pox on’t what a *wheadling Rogue art thou now?
1694. F. Bragge, Disc. Parables, II. 41. His sly and wheedling insinuations.
1713. Rowe, Jane Shore, I. i. A laughing, toying, wheadling, whimpering she.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, lii. ‘I wonder Master didn’t take you with him, Rob,’ said the old woman in a wheedling voice.
1856. Meredith, Shav. Shagpat, i. 18. *Wheedlingly she looked at him.
1904. W. S. Gilbert, Fairy’s Dilemma, i. Al. (wheedlingly). What am I to get for this, eh?
1838. Sarah, Lady Lyttelton, Corr. (1912), 282. The maids of honour … are very coaxy and *wheedly with me.
