- Today's Word
Wangle
[WANG-guhl]
Definition
- (verb) To obtain something through clever, often devious means. It implies manipulating a situation or persuading someone in a crafty or ingenious way to achieve a desired outcome.
Example
Despite the “sold out” sign, Sarah managed to wangle two tickets to the concert by convincing the box office manager that she was a music critic.
Fun Fact
The origin of “wangle” is uncertain, but it first appeared in British slang in the early 20th century. Some linguists speculate it might be related to the Old English word “wancol,” meaning unstable or unsteady. Others suggest it could be connected to the verb “waggle,” implying a sort of back-and-forth movement that could metaphorically represent manipulation. The term gained popularity during World War I, often used by soldiers to describe obtaining something through unofficial channels. Today, while it can imply a degree of deviousness, “wangle” is often used more lightheartedly to describe clever problem-solving or resourcefulness.
(adjective) Lacking substance, interest, or mature thought; naive and simplistic in a way that reveals inexperience.
The critic dismissed the debut novel as jejune — competently written, technically adequate, and utterly devoid of anything worth remembering.
Jejune derives from the Latin jejunus, meaning “fasting” or “empty” — literally describing a stomach that has not been fed. The same root gives us jejunum, the section of the small intestine named for its tendency to be found empty after death. It entered English in the 17th century carrying its literal sense of emptiness before acquiring its figurative meaning of something intellectually or creatively hollow — content that has the form of nourishment without any of the substance.