weasel

Etymology

From Middle English wesele, from Old English weosule, from Proto-West Germanic *wisulā, from Proto-Germanic *wisulǭ. The verb is from c. 1900, from the supposed cunningness of the weasel.

noun

1. The least weasel, Mustela nivalis.
2. Any of the carnivorous mammals of the genus Mustela, having a slender body, a long tail and usually a light brown upper coat and light-coloured belly.
3. The taxonomic family Mustelidae is also called the weasel family.
4. A devious or sneaky person or animal.
   Once you've gone beyond the scripted speeches, soundbites and cliches, you'll notice how the debate about leadership is primarily divided between the three governors and two senators, the other two weasels, Donald Trump and Ben Carson notwithstanding. February 8, 2016, Marwan Bishara, “Why Obama fails the leadership test in the Middle East”, in Al Jazeera English
5. A type of yarn winder used for counting the yardage of handspun yarn. It most commonly has a wooden peg or dowel that pops up from the gearing mechanism after a certain number of yards have been wound onto the winder.

verb

1. (transitive) To achieve by clever or devious means.
   Prisoners are notorious for weaseling day passes to get out of lockup […] . 2010 (publication date), Tony Dajer, "Vital Signs", Discover, ISSN 0274-7529, volume 32, number 1, January–February 2011, page 10
2. (transitive or reflexive) To gain something for oneself by clever or devious means.
   He's weaseled himself into a position where he can influence the outcome of this election. 2006, Tony Ruggiero, Alien Deception
   Within just a couple of days, she [a dog] had weaseled her way into our hearts. 2010, Susie Davis, Uncovered: Revealing the Secrets of a Sexy Marriage, page 147
3. (intransitive) To engage in clever or devious behavior.
   Authority figures have a history of weaseling on this topic. 1996, Stefan Bechtel, Larry Stains, Sex: A Man's Guide, page 151