well-oiled

American  

[wel-oild] / ˈwɛlˈɔɪld /

adjective

1. operating with efficiency.

   a well-oiled department.

2. Slang. drunk.

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well-oiled British  

adjective

1. informal (well oiled when postpositive) drunk

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Etymology

Origin of well-oiled

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

That he appreciated the way I’d turned his office into a well-oiled machine.

From Literature

At ESPN, she said, it was “a very well-oiled machine that’s been very successful” for decades with “a tried and true way” of doing things.

From Los Angeles Times

All that military bonhomie didn’t produce a well-oiled effort on the field, where hits and base runners stack to create overwhelming wins.

From Salon

Every day the bodies of three or four migrant workers are handed back to their families at the airport, the final transaction in a well-oiled system -- overseen by the state -- that helps keep Nepal's economy afloat.

From Barron's

“Think about what he must be going through. He’s in a strange land with strange people. It is a terrible thing to be away from one’s home. Besides, judging by his snoring, he’s quite all right. Brains are like any well-oiled machine. If it overheats, it needs to cool off.”

From Literature