Defn: Whether. [Obs.]
WHEEDLE
Whee"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wheedled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wheedling.]
Etym: [Cf. G. wedeln to wag with the tail, as a dog, wedel a fan,
tail, brush, OHG. wadal; akin to G. wehen to blow, and E. wind, n.]
1. To entice by soft words; to cajole; to flatter; to coax. The unlucky art of wheedling fools. Dryden. And wheedle a world that loves him not. Tennyson.
2. To grain, or get away, by flattery. A deed of settlement of the best part of her estate, which I wheedled out of her. Congreve.
WHEEDLE
Whee"dle, v. i.
Defn: To flatter; to coax; to cajole.
WHEEL Wheel, n. Etym: [OE. wheel, hweol, AS. hweól, hweogul, hweowol; akin to D. wiel, Icel. hvel, Gr. cakra; cf. Icel. hjol, Dan. hiul, Sw. hjul. *218 Cf. Cycle, Cyclopedia.]
1. A circular frame turning about an axis; a rotating disk, whether solid, or a frame composed of an outer rim, spokes or radii, and a central hub or nave, in which is inserted the axle, — used for supporting and conveying vehicles, in machinery, and for various purposes; as, the wheel of a wagon, of a locomotive, of a mill, of a watch, etc. The gasping charioteer beneath the wheel Of his own car. Dryden.
2. Any instrument having the form of, or chiefly consisting of, a wheel. Specifically: — (a) A spinning wheel. See under Spinning. (b) An instrument of torture formerly used. His examination is like that which is made by the rack and wheel. Addison.
Note: This mode of torture is said to have been first employed in Germany, in the fourteenth century. The criminal was laid on a cart wheel with his legs and arms extended, and his limbs in that posture were fractured with an iron bar. In France, where its use was restricted to the most atrocious crimes, the criminal was first laid on a frame of wood in the form of a St. Andrew's cross, with grooves cut transversely in it above and below the knees and elbows, and the executioner struck eight blows with an iron bar, so as to break the limbs in those places, sometimes finishing by two or three blows on the chest or stomach, which usually put an end to the life of the criminal, and were hence called coups-de-grace — blows of mercy. The criminal was then unbound, and laid on a small wheel, with his face upward, and his arms and legs doubled under him, there to expire, if he had survived the previous treatment. Brande. (c) (Naut.) A circular frame having handles on the periphery, and an axle which is so connected with the tiller as to form a means of controlling the rudder for the purpose of steering. (d) (Pottery) A potter's wheel. See under Potter. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. Jer. xviii. 3. Turn, turn, my wheel! This earthen jar A touch can make, a touch can mar. Longfellow. (e) (Pyrotechny)