Grease One's Palms May 2026

(Usually refers to smoothing out a situation, sometimes without illegal bribery) Oil someone's palm Palm grease (Used as a noun to mean the actual bribe money) Pay a kickback or give a handout ⚠️ Tone and Connotation

: This is an exceptionally old English idiom dating back to the first half of the 1500s. 📝 Common Sentence Examples grease one's palms

"To expedite the building approval process, the contractor decided to ." 🔄 Synonyms and Variants (Usually refers to smoothing out a situation, sometimes

: To secretly give someone money to persuade them to do something for you. Just as applying grease to a squeaky wheel

🔍 Meaning and Origin

: The idiom relies on the metaphor of moving parts in a machine. Just as applying grease to a squeaky wheel or stiff engine part reduces friction and makes it move smoothly, giving money to an official makes a bureaucratic process move faster.

"If you want your luggage to make the plane on time, be sure to ."