What does the phrase to grease the palm mean? Give someone money in exchange for a favor; also, bribe someone. For example, If you want you luggage to make the plane, be sure to grease
What does the phrase to grease the palm mean?
Give someone money in exchange for a favor; also, bribe someone. For example, If you want you luggage to make the plane, be sure to grease the porter’s palm. This term uses grease in the sense of “enrich.” [ First half of 1500s]
What do you do if you grease someone’s palm?
Grease someone’s palm means to bribe that person, give him a gratuity, or to give him money in exchange for favors. For instance, a restaurant patron may grease the maître d’s palm in order to obtain a favorable table.
What does it mean to grease someone’s hand?
to influence someone with a bribe. He tried to grease the hands of the officials with promises of free service.
Where does the phrase grease someone’s palm come from?
grease (or oil) someone’s palm This phrase comes from the practice of applying grease to a machine to make it run smoothly. The same expression exists in French as graisser la patte . The form with palm is now predominant but hand appears in the earliest recorded versions of the idiom, dating from the 16th century.
What does putting the cart before the horse mean?
do things in the wrong order
: to do things in the wrong order People are putting the cart before the horse by making plans on how to spend the money before we are even certain that the money will be available.
How do you grease palms?
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.
What does the phrase give the devil his due mean?
give the devil his due. Give credit to what is good in a disagreeable or disliked person. For example, I don’t like John’s views on education, but give the devil his due, he always has something important to say, or I don’t like what the new management has done, but give the devil his due, sales have improved. [
Is putting the cart before the horse a metaphor?
A cart is a vehicle that is ordinarily pulled by a horse, so to put the cart before the horse is an analogy for doing things in the wrong order. The figure of speech means doing things the wrong way round or with the wrong emphasis or confusing cause and effect.
What does the adage strike while the iron is hot?
Take advantage of favorable circumstances while they last. The image is from a blacksmith’s shop; the smith can shape iron only by striking it with his hammer when it is red hot.
What does it mean to get greased up?
to grease (someone) up: to lubricate, to put oil on (someone) verb. Let’s get you greased up (before the show) Let’s put some oil on you (before the show)
What does it mean to have an AXE to grind?
phrase. If someone has an axe to grind, they are doing something for selfish reasons. [informal, disapproval]
What does the phrase’grease a few palms’mean?
( 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.
What happens if someone greases an official’s palm?
If someone greases an official’s palm, they secretly give money to the official in order to get something that they want. She thought she would not be able to see the files if she did not grease the palms of officials. At the docks my grandfather would grease the palm of some sailor to show us round his ship.
Can You Grease your palms with ghee and oil?
You can grease your palms with oil as the dough will be sticky, once the dough is ready coat with oil and keep the dough covered with damp cloth. Grease your palms with ghee and knead mixture while it is still warm for few minutes until it has smooth surface.
Where does the saying grease the machine come from?
This phrase comes from the practice of applying grease to a machine to make it run smoothly. The same expression exists in French as graisser la patte . The form with palm is now predominant but hand appears in the earliest recorded versions of the idiom, dating from the 16th century.