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- grease palm
grease palm
grease someone's palm
and oil someone's palmFig. 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 palm
also grease the palm of somebody 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.
grease somebody'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.