Abuse & Manipulation: English Vocabulary List

to take advantage of a position to make oneself rich, particularly by using unfair or dishonest methods

"He used the money to feather his own nest."

"The corrupt official used public money to feather his own nest by buying expensive properties abroad."

to be comparable to someone who is very evil

"No one can hold candle to Devil."

"His cruelty was so extreme that some said he could hold a candle to the Devil himself."

to gain advantage over others by making use of one's contacts and influence in an unfair way

"My dad pulled some strings."

"My father pulled some strings at his company to get me an internship for the summer."

to avoid doing something bad or unethical for the sake of achieving something good

"Do not do evil for good."

"We should not do evil that good may come of it; ethical means are crucial for positive outcomes."

about to do something bad or evil

"Those kids are up to no good."

"The children have been very quiet for the last hour which usually means they are up to no good."

to try to gain advantage by flattery or submissive behavior

"She will curry favor."

"He constantly praised the director's decisions, attempting to curry favor for a leading role."

to use various dishonest or complicated methods in order to gain things, particularly in politics or business

"He likes to wheel and deal."

"The used car salesman is known for wheeling and dealing to get the best price for himself."

to be placed in a difficult position by believing something that is not true or trusting someone who lies

"He fell into a trap."

"She was warned about the scam, but unfortunately, she still managed to fall into a trap."

to secretly offer someone money or anything of high value in order to persuade them to help one or do what one desires

"He greased her palm."

"To expedite the permit process, he decided to grease the official's palm with a generous sum of cash."

a lawyer who finds clients at the scenes of accidents or other tragedies, especially with the intention of earning money through legal action

"That ambulance chaser is here."

"The ambulance chaser arrived at the accident scene before the police had even finished their investigation."

to do something unfair in order to make a particular outcome more probable

"They loaded the dice."

"The company decided to load the dice in their favor by bribing the judges for the competition."

to make use of a thief or criminal just to be able to anticipate, understand, or capture other criminals or thieves

"Set thief to catch thief."

"The police decided to set a thief to catch a thief by using an informant to infiltrate the gang."

to arrange situations or conditions to achieve a preferred result by giving oneself an unfair advantage

"They stacked the cards."

"The politician was accused of stacking the deck to ensure his party's victory in the upcoming election."

to manipulate or control someone easily, typically by making them obediently follow one's commands or desires

"He leads her by nose."

"The manipulative boss led his employees around by the nose, making them work overtime without extra pay."

to use someone else's idea, plan, words, etc. in order to prevent them from reaching success or getting attention

"You stole my thunder."

"The junior colleague tried to steal his mentor's thunder by presenting the same idea first at the meeting."

to engage in activities or behaviors that involve deception, manipulation, or deceit in order to achieve a particular outcome, often at the expense of others

"Stop playing games."

"The negotiation failed because one party refused to stop playing games and be transparent about their intentions."

to convince someone to do something that seems unnecessary or redundant, especially to buy something they do not need

"He could sell ice to Eskimos."

"That salesman could sell ice to Eskimos because he is so convincing and persuasive with his customers."

someone on whom scientific experiments are tested

"He was a guinea pig."

"Unwittingly, the volunteer became a guinea pig for a highly experimental and untested medical procedure."