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Processed with VS1Understand a euphemistic idiom for a secret payment—and why context and ethics matter.
VOA source audio
Source: VOA Learning English · Words and Their Stories
View original article & transcriptThis episode explains “grease someone’s palm” as a figurative expression for giving money or something valuable to obtain a favor or advantage.
Cultural note: The idiom can soften the sound of bribery, but a euphemism does not make a payment ethical or lawful. Whether a payment is a tip, permitted fee, or improper inducement depends on its purpose, local rules, and context.
Keep exploringSome expressions make questionable payments sound smoother than they are. Learn what this idiom means without confusing a normal tip with a bribe.
Phrase guide · 5 expressions
Original explanations and examples, created for learners. Save a card for later or hear the phrase spoken by your browser.
Recognize the expression and its common variants.
Recognition caution
Meaning
Give someone money or something valuable to obtain a favor or special advantage.
Tone & use
Often a euphemism for bribery or an improper payment. It is informal and can imply secrecy or unfair access.
Example
“The report alleged that a contractor tried to grease an official’s palm; the claim had not been proven.”
A euphemism; avoid treating an allegation as a fact.
Meaning
A variant of “grease someone’s palm,” meaning to make a valuable payment for a favor.
Tone & use
Informal and suggestive of a secret or improper payment. It is not a neutral synonym for tipping.
Example
“The novel’s narrator claimed the smuggler had oiled the guard’s palm.”
Connect grease and oil with making a process move.
Meaning
Resistance that makes movement or cooperation harder.
Tone & use
Literal in physics and machines; figurative for disagreement or difficulty between people and processes.
Example
“The new form reduced friction in the application process without changing the rules.”
Meaning
Smooth and difficult to hold; figuratively, difficult to pin down or potentially evasive.
Tone & use
Can describe a surface or a person, explanation, or situation that is hard to trust or define.
Example
“The spokesperson gave a slippery answer that avoided the main question.”
Distinguish neutral service payments from improper influence.
Meaning
The act of giving a payment to secure a favor or advantage.
Tone & use
Usually carries a negative or suspicious implication. A customary, transparent tip is not automatically palm-greasing.
Example
“The investigation examined whether palm-greasing influenced the permit process.”
Knowledge check
Choose the expression that best fits each situation.
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