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The word for today is…
coax (verb) – 1. To persuade or try to persuade by pleading or flattery; cajole.
2. To obtain by persistent persuasion.
3. (Obsolete) To caress; fondle.
4. To move to or adjust toward a desired end.
Source : The Free Dictionary
Etymology : In the days of yore, if you made a “cokes” of someone, you made a fool of them. Cokes—a now-obsolete word for “fool”—is believed to be the source of the verb coax, which was first used in the 16th century (with the spelling cokes) to mean “to make a fool of.” Soon, the verb also took on the kinder meaning of “to make a pet of.” As might be expected, the act of “cokesing” was sometimes done for personal gain. By the 17th century, the word was being used in today’s senses that refer to influencing or persuading people by kind acts or words. By the 19th century, the spelling cokes had fallen out of use, along with the meanings “to make a fool of” and “to make a pet of.”
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