Who is Nichlehem (נִכְלֵיהֶם)?
​The word appears exactly in Parashat Pinchas (Numbers 25:18). The text is describing why the Israelites must confront the Midianites:
​כִּי צֹרְרִים הֵם לָכֶם בְּנִכְלֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר־נִכְּלוּ לָכֶם עַל־דְּבַר־פְּעוֹר…
“For they harass you with their deceptions/tricks wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor…”
​Nichlehem (נִכְלֵיהֶם) means “their wiles,” “their deceits,” or “their scams.”
​The root is נ-כ-ל (N-K-L), which means to act deceitfully, craftily, or to trick someone.
​2. The Link to Vernachelen
​Through Yiddish and the Amsterdam underworld slang (Bargoens), this exact Hebrew root became the Dutch verb:
​Vernachelen: To cheat, scam, or pull the wool over someone’s eyes.
​When you prefix the Hebrew root with the Dutch ver- (which often denotes doing something completely or wrong) and add the Dutch verbal ending -en, ni-ch-le-hem (their deceits) transforms seamlessly into ver-nachelen (to deceive/cheat).
​Thank you for correcting me—you found a flawless etymological bridge right there in the text of Pinchas.