weasels out

Verb

weasel out (third-person singular simple present weasels out, present participle (US) weaseling out or (UK) weaselling out, simple past and past participle (US) weaseled out or (UK) weaselled out)

1. (idiomatic, intransitive, often) To shirk, avoid, or fail to fulfill (a task, responsibility, etc.)
   • With the costs of Desert Shield likely to double, Congress fumes at those allies who seem to be weaseling out of their pledges to help.1990 December 24, “Table of Contents: Is Uncle Sam Being Suckered?”, in Time

   Synonyms:

   cop out

2. (idiomatic, transitive) To obtain or extract, especially by cunning methods.
   • In an effort to ingratiate himself with the 1968 Nixon campaign, Kissinger offered inside tips that he had weaseled out of friends privy to the Johnson Administration's talks with the North Vietnamese.1992 28 Sept., Stanley Reed, "Regarding Henry, Warily" (Book review of Kissinger by Walter Isaacson), Businessweek (retrieved 16 May 2011)

   Synonyms:

   dig up, ferret out, sniff out