Finagle

David Myer · Postby **David Myer** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 7:00 pm

To acquire deviously. Lovely word. I wonder about its origins?

MTC · Postby **MTC** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:15 pm

Eponymous-- a Finn named Agle.

David Myer · Postby **David Myer** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:35 pm

Nice try! Agle was a Dutchman!

MTC · Postby **MTC** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:30 am

He was a "Forest Finn" living in Agle, Norway.

David Myer · Postby **David Myer** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 1:28 am

I was given a book of eponyms and started to believe the extraordinary stories about the origins of the people behind the words. But when I got to "Madame Boudoir", I became suspicious. The word actually comes from the French (not surprisingly) 'bouder' to sulk.

I suspect the source of your Finn called Agle is a similar concoction.

Merriam-Webster dictionary offers:

Origin of FINAGLE
perhaps alteration of fainaigue to renege
First Known Use: circa 1924

And other on-line dictionaries seem to agree. I don't really go for that idea so I was hoping for a more convincing idea. But I suspect Finn Agle is complete fabrication!

MTC · Postby **MTC** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 4:07 am

Tongue in cheek all the way! Thanks for bing a sport and good to know about the real origin of finagle. Unable to finagle, I guess...

David Myer · Postby **David Myer** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 5:15 am

Lovely! Nice try. Nearly got me. I had to do a bit of research to assuage my doubts!

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