weaseling
Slipping out craftily
Weaseling is the act of evading responsibility, commitment, or direct answers through evasive or underhanded means.
Someone weaseling out of a promise finds excuses to avoid fulfilling it: He's weaseling out of helping us move.
The term draws on the weasel's reputation for sneaky, slippery behavior.
Weaseling can also mean inserting oneself somewhere through cunning: She weaseled her way into the meeting.
Avoiding by moving aside
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
- equivocatingSpeaking with deliberate ambiguity
- prevaricatingAvoiding direct honesty
fudging · deflecting · avoiding · eluding · circumventing · ducking · shirking · noncommittal
Cleverly deceptive
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- deceitfulInclined to mislead others
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
- underhandedSecretly dishonest or unfair
sneaky · untrustworthy · shifty · disingenuous · two-faced · backstabbing · treacherous · conniving
Crafty and calculating
- plottingDevising a secret plan
- maneuveringSkillful directional control
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
- connivingSecretly planning wrongdoing
angling · finagling · wheedling · coaxing · cajoling · ingratiating · exploiting · leveraging
dodging
Avoiding by moving aside
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
- equivocatingSpeaking with deliberate ambiguity
prevaricating · fudging · deflecting · avoiding · eluding · circumventing · ducking · shirking · noncommittal · vague
sly
Cleverly deceptive
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- deceitfulInclined to mislead others
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
underhanded · sneaky · untrustworthy · shifty · disingenuous · two-faced · backstabbing · treacherous · conniving · insincere
scheming
Crafty and calculating
- plottingDevising a secret plan
- maneuveringSkillful directional control
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
conniving · angling · finagling · wheedling · coaxing · cajoling · ingratiating · exploiting · leveraging · positioning
- bending rulesloopholes, skirting, exploits, workarounds, cutting corners
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- cunningcunning, craftiness, crafty, guile, slyness
- excusesexcuse, not my fault, overslept, alibi, excuses
- insincerityinsincerity, phoniness, fakeness, falseness, pretense
weaselingstanding one's ground
Refusing to yield position
following through · owning up · taking responsibility · facing the music · stepping up