well-oiled

[wel-oild]

adjective

1. operating with efficiency.

   a well-oiled department.

2. Slang.,  drunk.

well-oiled

adjective

1. informal,  (well oiled when postpositive) drunk

Word History and Origins

Origin of well-oiled¹

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

He ran a well-oiled machine, with members of his inner circle performing specific roles.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

My partner and my adult daughter worked together like a well-oiled machine during this trying time.

Read more on MarketWatch

The hosts defended well but had to do so in numbers against a Kangaroos side that looked a well-oiled machine whenever they advanced with their attacking threat.

Read more on BBC

A minor update to what is called the Domain Name System, or DNS—the kind of software tweak that happens millions of times a day on the internet—sent the well-oiled machine that underpins the modern web careening toward a crash.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Conversations about important matters” operates like a well-oiled propaganda system.

Read more on Slate