wheedle

"Wheedle" always makes me chuckle when I read it. It's such a fittingly deprecating name for a truly weaselly act. The act, as you likely know, is that of verbal persuasion through dishonest or overly persistent or flattering means. So self-serving is the act, and so frequently does it take place, that it takes a sharply descriptive word like "wheedle" to deflate the ego of the wheedler; one can't help but think that many of them, upon realizing that such a biting little word could be accurately used to describe their actions, may straighten up their manner and the direction of their speech. I can't quite put my finger upon the effectiveness of the word; the best way I can describe its connotation is as a needle sharpened to a whisper. It is a pair of unpleasant images - one of a small yes man eagerly penetrating with his words the ear of someone more powerful, one of a needle gouging skin to remove some trivial prize, with no regard for the surrounding sensitive flesh.