wheel and deal

Idioms  

1. Operate or manipulate for one's own interest, especially in an aggressive or unscrupulous way. For example, Bernie's wheeling and dealing has made him rich but not very popular. This term comes from gambling in the American West, where a wheeler-dealer was a heavy bettor on the roulette wheel and at cards. [Colloquial; c. 1940]

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Example Sentences

This was the new “New York”; not just as far as the series was concerned, but in terms of the figures who wheel and deal within the city itself.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2025

“This is something we should not try and wheel and deal on,” Harris said.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 6, 2023

“Boys State”: A high-energy fly-on-the-wall look at what happens when 1,000 Texas high school students gather over a week to wheel and deal and attempt to construct a representative government.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2020

This is a team that has long had to wheel and deal in the transfer market.

From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2019

‘So let’s wheel and deal, Music Man,’ Leo said.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan