weaselling
Dodging through technicalities
Weaselling is evading or escaping from a commitment or responsibility through cunning or deceit.
The image comes from the weasel's reputation for slipperiness and its ability to squeeze through tight spaces.
Someone weaselling out of a promise finds clever excuses to avoid keeping it: He's weaselling out of paying his share.
Also spelled weaseling.
Causing false beliefs
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- untruthfulNot speaking facts
- deceitfulInclined to mislead others
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
disingenuous · misrepresentation · distortion · falsification · prevarication · fabrication · dissembling · lying
Avoiding by moving aside
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- skirtingAvoiding by going around
- avoidingDeliberately staying clear
- duckingBending to avoid impact
deflecting · hedging · fudging · waffling · prevaricating · equivocating · paltering · obfuscating
Cleverly deceptive
guileful · shrewd · sneaky · slippery · underhanded · devious · cagey · tricky
Persuading through flattery
- cajolingPersuading through flattery
- coaxingPersuading through gentle persistence
- ingratiatingSeeking favor through flattery
- finaglingObtaining through cunning
maneuvering · scheming · conniving · machinating · engineering · exploiting · undermining · outmaneuvering
misleading
Causing false beliefs
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- untruthfulNot speaking facts
- deceitfulInclined to mislead others
duplicitous · disingenuous · misrepresentation · distortion · falsification · prevarication · fabrication · dissembling · lying · half-truths
dodging
Avoiding by moving aside
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- skirtingAvoiding by going around
- avoidingDeliberately staying clear
ducking · deflecting · hedging · fudging · waffling · prevaricating · equivocating · paltering · obfuscating · circumlocution
sly
Cleverly deceptive
artful · guileful · shrewd · sneaky · slippery · underhanded · devious · cagey · tricky · subtle
wheedling
Persuading through flattery
- cajolingPersuading through flattery
- coaxingPersuading through gentle persistence
- ingratiatingSeeking favor through flattery
finagling · maneuvering · scheming · conniving · machinating · engineering · exploiting · undermining · outmaneuvering · coercing
weasellingbeing honest
Stating facts sincerely
levelling · telling the truth · calling a spade a spade · telling it like it is
weasellingowning up
taking responsibility · facing the music · following through · stepping up · facing up
weasellingacting in good faith
weasel, weasels, weaseled, weaseling, weaselly, weaselled, weasel-like