weasel

noun

1. Any of the carnivorous mammals of the genera Mustela, Neogale, Poecilogale, and Lyncodon, having a slender body, a long tail and usually a light brown upper coat and light-coloured belly.

   “An old traditional prescription for provoking erotic inclinations ran as follows, The toe of the foot of a man, anointed with oil, or honey, or the ashes of a weasel.”

2. A least weasel (Mustela nivalis).
3. Any of certain other species of the family Mustelidae.
4. (derogatory, informal)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.”

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 […] .”

2. (reflexive, transitive)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.”

   “Within just a couple of days, she [a dog] had weaseled her way into our hearts.”

3. (intransitive)To engage in clever or devious behavior.

   “Authority figures have a history of weaseling on this topic.”