Where does “wheel and deal” come from?
wheel and deal (English) comes from English wheel, from Middle English whel, from Old English hwēol, from Proto-Germanic hweulō, from Proto-Indo-European kʷékʷléh₂, from Proto-Indo-European kʷékʷlos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- — to turn.
wheel and deal (English): To work as an intermediary, making a profit from buying and selling things, or making contracts between parties
Definitions
- To work as an intermediary, making a profit from buying and selling things, or making contracts between parties
Ancestry of “wheel and deal”, step by step
wheel and deal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wheel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wheel | A circular device capable of rotating on its... |
| 2 | Middle English | whel | A wheel circular device for motion |
| 3 | Old English | hwēol | wheel |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hweulō | nominative/vocative/accusative plural of *hwehwlą |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷékʷléh₂ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷékʷlos | wheel; circle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |
via English deal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | deal | A division, a portion, a share; An indefinite... |
| 2 | Middle English | del | A part, proportion or section of something; The... |
| 3 | Old English | dǣl | part, share, portion; part, distribution |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | daili | part |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | dailiz | part, portion, deal |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰayl- | part, watershed |