grease (one's) palm

(redirected from greasing their palm)

grease (one's) palm

To bribe one discreetly, as by slipping money into their palm. A: "How are we going to get a table without a reservation?" B: "Don't worry, I greased the hostess' palm, and she promised us a table in no time." I greased my brother's palm to stop him from telling Mom that I had a party while she was away.

grease someone's palm

and oil someone's palm

Fig. to bribe someone. If you want to get something done around here, you have to grease someone's palm. I'd never oil a police officer's palm. That's illegal.

grease somebody’s ˈpalm

(old-fashioned, informal) give somebody money in order to persuade them to do something dishonest: Luckily, Mick was able to grease a few palms, thus helping his brother to escape.

This phrase refers to the fact that you put grease (= a thick substance like oil) on a machine to make it run smoothly.