grease the wheels

1. Also, oil the wheels. Make things run smoothly, as in You can count on Ben to grease the wheels so we'll be waited on promptly. This metaphoric expression transfers literal lubrication to figurative. [Mid-1600s]

Example Sentences

But as Douthat knows, some pretense is always necessary to grease the wheels of personal relations, especially of diplomacy.

From Salon

And that while he has made a tactical decision – essentially, using a defence spending hike to grease the wheels of his meeting with President Trump - she maintains that the PM has made a strategic error which could bolster Russia and China's global influence.

From BBC

“By late summer, President Trump starts to grease the wheels for excuses if he lost,” says Alyssa Farah Griffin, who served in 2020 as White House director of strategic communications and assistant to the president.

From Los Angeles Times

That could help Capital One and Discover grease the wheels with regulators and gain approval for the deal because antitrust regulators have long had those payment giants in their crosshairs.

From Seattle Times

It’s obvious why Amazon would want to grease the wheels of government in the Inland Empire.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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