Wheel and deal is an American phrase that means to pursue one’s interests zealously, usually in a scheming or unscrupulous manner. Wheel and deal usually applies to pursuits in the business or political world. The origin of the phrase wheel and deal is up for debate, but there are several interesting theories. The first theory attributes the origin to American gambling, the term wheel and deal supposedly describing someone’s ability to run a roulette wheel game or a card game. Another theory attributes the phrase wheel and deal to the automobile industry in the 1930s, when many car dealers proclaimed they were giving wheel deals, or competitive pricing on their inventories. After World War II, the phrase wheel and deal became common. Related terms are wheels and deals, wheeling and dealing, and the noun wheeler-dealer.
Examples
No, general managers are free to wheel and deal as they see fit in attempts to build the best team possible. (The Washington Times)
Of course, there will also be the “good ideas”, those desirable but disputable agendas around which politicians naturally wheel and deal. (The Australian)
As fans get restless while other teams wheel and deal, they should remember that Masai Ujiri got ahead of the game in 2015 by wrapping up deals with Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross that look like bargains now, Doug Smith argues. (The Toronto Star)
“We might wheel and deal those a bit but, technically speaking, we don’t really discount.” (The Fresno Bee)
Wheeling and dealing in the oil patch took an extended break as the industry copes with low oil and natural gas prices. (The Midland Reporter-Telegram)
Fairfax Media can reveal he was still wheeling and dealing in the days leading up to his bankruptcy on Friday. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Mr. Pence will allegedly help Mr. Trump win evangelical voters, not the natural constituency of a casino owner and New York City wheeler-dealer. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)