grease one's gills
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To eat a hearty meal.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
He'll give a guinea at the least,
To grease his gills at city feast:
But tho' to belly he's so kind,
Yet not one souse to treat his mind.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “grease one's gills” mean?
To eat a hearty meal.
Is “grease one's gills” formal or informal?
grease one's gills is generally slang.