1
general::
Phrase(s): wheel and deal
to take part in clever (but sometimes dishonest or immoral) business deals. • John loves to wheel and deal in the money markets. • Jack got tired of all the wheeling and dealing of big business and retired to run a pub in the country.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Operate or manipulate for one's own interest, especially in an aggressive or unscrupulous way. For example, Bernie's wheeling and dealing has made him rich but not very popular. This term comes from gambling in the American West, where a wheeler-dealer was a heavy bettor on the roulette wheel and at cards. [Colloquial; c. 1940]
American Heritage Idioms