grease (redirected from greased the wheels)

elbow grease (humorous)

hard work, especially when you are cleaning something. With determination and elbow grease we soon transformed the filthy kitchen.

See also: elbow

grease someone's palm

to give money to someone in authority in order to persuade them to do something for you, especially something wrong. Drug barons were greasing the palm of the chief of police.

See also: palm

like greased lightning (old-fashioned)

if someone does something like greased lightning, they do it very quickly. I mentioned work and he was out of the room like greased lightning.

See also: lightning, like

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grease someone's palm

to give someone money to persuade them to do what you want. Some of those candidates spent money greasing the palms of local political bosses.

See also: palm