it is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
The most persistent complainer gets attention and relief
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Người phàn nàn nhiều nhất sẽ nhận được sự chú ý và giải quyết
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: a squeaky wheel on a cart needing grease
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “it is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease” mean?
The most persistent complainer gets attention and relief Literally: a squeaky wheel on a cart needing grease
Is “it is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.