Get Wangled

I have a “word-a-day” calendar I received as a Christmas present. To explain how exciting my life is, I look forward to sitting down at my desk each day and tearing off the page to reveal the next word of the day. My conundrum is that the word for Feb. 23 was “wangle” and I’m having a hard time throwing it away.

Wangle: 1) to make, achieve, or get by contrivance: wangled a job for which she had no training. 2) to manipulate or juggle, especially fraudulently. 3) to extricate oneself from diffculty.

In the past, I think I’ve always misused the word “wrangle” in place of wangle. How wrong have I been! I’d say something like, “I really wrangled myself out of that one!” or some such nonsense at which those listening were probably thinking, “You fool!”

But now I know. Thanks to my handy word-a-day calendar, I can wangle myself out of future sticky wickets and be completely accurate from a grammar standpoint.

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