finagler
/fi'neigl/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A person who uses clever, dishonest, or deceptive methods to achieve a goal, especially by manipulating situations or people.
Usage
The word "finagler" describes a person whose characteristic behavior is to obtain something through trickery, cunning, or deceitful persuasion. It implies a shrewd and often unscrupulous operator.
Examples
- The salesman was a known finagler who could talk anyone into a bad deal.
- She suspected her colleague was a finagler after he took credit for her idea.
- The contract was full of loopholes, perfect for a clever finagler to exploit.
Advanced Usage
- "A consummate finagler": This phrase emphasizes that the person is a complete, expert, or supreme master of deceitful manipulation.
- He was a consummate finagler, always emerging from complex negotiations with the upper hand.
Variants and Related Words
- Finagle (verb): To obtain something by cleverness, trickery, or manipulation.
- He managed to finagle an invitation to the exclusive party.
- Finagling (noun/gerund): The act or practice of using deceptive methods.
- The deal was the result of weeks of political finagling.
Synonyms
- Schemer: A person who makes secret and often complex plans to achieve a goal, typically a dishonest one.
- Wheeler-dealer: A person who is skillful and shrewd in business or political negotiations, sometimes unscrupulously.
- Operator (informal): A person who acts in a shrewd, manipulative, or deceptive way.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- "To finagle one's way into/out of something": This common verb phrase describes the specific act of manipulating a situation.
- She finagled her way into the backstage area. (She used clever or deceitful talk to get backstage.)
- He always finds a way to finagle out of doing the chores. (He manipulates the situation to avoid chores.)
Noun
- a deceiver who uses crafty misleading methods