worm out of (something or some place)

worm out of (something or some place)

1. To crawl, wriggle, or squeeze out of some tight or confined thing or space. The jeans were so tight that I had to worm out of them. The spy wormed out of the ventilation shaft and lowered himself into the ambassador's office.2. To disentangle oneself from some situation, duty, or responsibility, especially through sly, devious, or cunning means. Not so fast, you've wormed out of doing the dishes for the last time! Sally always finds some way to worm out of trouble. I told you that the whole company has to be there to do the inventory count—you're not worming out of it again this time!See also: of, out, worm

worm something out of someone

to draw or manipulate information out of someone. I managed to worm the name of the doctor out of her before she ran off. You can't worm the names out of me!See also: of, out, worm

worm out of

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] See also: of, out, worm

worm out of

v.1. To elicit something from someone by artful or devious means: The clever police officers wormed a confession out of the suspect.2. To extricate oneself from some situation by artful or devious means: You can't worm out of this situation, so don't even try.See also: of, out, worm