to grease one's palm
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: to grease one's fist
To give a bribe GreasYmy fist withatester or two, and ye shall find it in youT pennyworth.— QUARLES: The Virgin Widow, iv,l,p.4& ^;Youmustoyi it first. C.: I understand you— Greaze him i' the fist.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to grease one's palm” mean?
To give a bribe GreasYmy fist withatester or two, and ye shall find it in youT pennyworth.— QUARLES: The Virgin Widow, iv,l,p.4& ^;Youmustoyi it first. C.: I understand you— Greaze him i' the fist.
Is “to grease one's palm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.