finagle
UK: fɪˈneɪɡl | US: fɪˈneɪɡl
vt. to obtain or achieve something by cleverness or deceit, often in a sly or unscrupulous manner
The word "finagle" likely emerged in early 20th-century American English, possibly influenced by dialectal or slang terms. The first morpheme, "fin," may derive from the English word "finish" or the French "fin" (meaning "end" or "trick"), suggesting cunning or finality. The second part, "agle," has no clear etymology but might be a playful or exaggerated suffix to imply manipulation. Over time, "finagle" evolved to describe clever but often dishonest maneuvering.
He managed to finagle a front-row seat at the concert.
She finagled her way into the exclusive event without an invitation.
The salesman finagled a higher commission by exaggerating the product's benefits.
They finagled the data to support their hypothesis.
Don’t try to finagle your way out of responsibility—just admit the mistake.