finagle

Remember how the United States screwed us several times-our veterans, for one, right after the war; how they finagled it so we couldn't change our exchange rate without the permission of the US president (we were already independent, mind you); how they favored Japan over us in the matter of war damages; and how they interfered in our elections.

Has Ruto finagled his way into the hungry stomachs of too many a Kenyan politician and do some in law enforcement and the military to believe he's untouchable, much like Capone?

Somehow, he or she finagled a smog inspection, and then sold the car to your son at a nice markup and changed his or her phone number.

With an afterschool work audition her best friend, Finnegan, finagled her into, she has little time to think about the gift, especially with the appearance of Hayes Martinelli, the guy with "just the right size dimples," at the audition.

Mark Landis has discovered a shortcut: By copying existing paintings and then donating the knockoffs to institutions grateful to expand their holdings, he's finagled his way into respected collections across the country.

Examples of such solutions abounded at the recent International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) trade show, which is one of my favorite events, for three reasons: It's usually in a cool city (this year it was New Orleans), you get to rub shoulders with celebrities (I finagled some face time with "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro and Sarah Palin), and there's a seemingly endless array both of fantastic new products to taste and inspiring ways to merchandise them - and cross-merchandise them throughout the store.

They rented an elephant, finagled some fire eaters and convinced eminent Department and SCA leaders to attend and inspire the ELPs.

Journalists who recognize the importance of the news have finagled to get around the censors.

The DC police are investigating how the Salahis finagled a police escort for their white limo in a scene for 'The Real Housewives of DC'.

One of these is Northern Trust, a Chicago bank that finagled a $1.6 billion federal bailout.

Marks, who died in May at age 87, was then the 39-year-old creative director of a New York ad agency - and a free-lance writer who somehow finagled an interview with King, leader of the civil rights movement.