weasel out


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Related to weasel out: weasel out of something

wea·sel

 (wē′zəl)
n.
1. Any of various carnivorous mammals of the genus Mustela, having a long slender body, a long tail, short legs, and brownish fur that in many species turns white in winter.
2. A person regarded as sneaky or treacherous.
intr.v. wea·seled, wea·sel·ing, wea·sels also wea·selled or wea·sel·ling
To be evasive; equivocate.
Phrasal Verb:
weasel out Informal
To back out of a situation or commitment in a sneaky or cowardly manner.
[Middle English wesele, from Old English wesle.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

weasel out

vb (intr, adverb) , -sels, -selling or -selled, -seling or -seled
1. to go back on a commitment
2. to evade a responsibility, esp in a despicable manner
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
Translations

w>weasel out

vi (= wriggle out) → sich rauslavieren (inf) → (of aus)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
References in periodicals archive ?
Cllr Storey said: ``The more exceptions the government makes - and the more it tries to weasel out of what it said it would do - the more problems it creates.'' A Department of Health spokesman said he was mystified by Mr Hain's comments, insisting health secretary John Reid was not backing down on his plans
Hain hints at U-turn on smoking
Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against them, but the companies weasel out of settlements by declaring bankruptcy on the grounds that they have insufficient cash to handle the claims.
Fatal Deception: The Untold Story of Asbestos
Maybe that's a plot to get everyone on a LAN; so, they can weasel out of giving any technical support.
Pop! Goes the computer weasel: 'round and 'round the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel. The monkey thought 'twos all in fun. Pop! Goes the weasel. (Chemputing)
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