The emperors now had to wheedle taxes and manpower from these great powers.

FORBES: The Decline And Fall Of The American Empire?

Some clean-air campaigners question the mayor's commitment, arguing conspiratorially that he agreed to reinstate the pollution-charging scheme only after it became clear that British attempts to wheedle more time from the EC were not going well.

ECONOMIST: Cleaning up London��s dirty air

While the battle lines are being drawn, the scuttling little monster with the Peter Lorre wheedle leads Frodo and Sam toward a trap in order to steal the Ring before Frodo can finally return the damned thing to Mount Doom.

WSJ: Now That's an Epic

Fair play to the Indian captain, he's racked up almost 38 years and can still wheedle bagfuls of overs every Test match.

BBC: India v Australia day two as it happened