worm out of

1. Elicit or make one's way by artful or devious means. For example, He tried to worm the answer out of her, or She can't worm out of this situation. This expression alludes to the sinuous passage of a worm. [Early 1700s]

Example Sentences

When I tried to worm out of getting a needle biopsy after a breast cancer scare, he wrote, "Stupid is as stupid does … Steve Jobs decided to treat his pancreatic tumor with fruit juice and yoga. Denial is very common in intelligent people and can lead to disasters."

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That could make it easier to worm out of diligent reporting.

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If your lever has only one segment, you may need to twist the worm out of the cork a little bit to get a grip, as it were.

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Instead of trying to worm out of privacy regulations, companies providing critical connectivity services should apply that energy to limiting data collection during the national emergency to only what they need to operate and to give additional reassurances that their services comply with child protection laws.

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Nick Akerman, a former Watergate prosecutor, said Trump manages to “worm out of things” by making his bad behavior so blatant.

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Related Words

• annul 
• back down 
• back off 
• backtrack 
• contradict 
• disavow 
• disown 
• renege 
• renounce 
• repudiate 
• rescind 
• retract 
• revoke 
• take back