grease the wheels

Idioms and Phrases

Also, oil the wheels . Make things run smoothly, as in You can count on Ben to grease the wheels so we'll be waited on promptly . This metaphoric expression transfers literal lubrication to figurative. [Mid-1600s]

Example Sentences

“By late summer, President Trump starts to grease the wheels for excuses if he lost,” says Alyssa Farah Griffin, who served in 2020 as White House director of strategic communications and assistant to the president.

From Los Angeles Times

That could help Capital One and Discover grease the wheels with regulators and gain approval for the deal because antitrust regulators have long had those payment giants in their crosshairs.

From Seattle Times

It’s obvious why Amazon would want to grease the wheels of government in the Inland Empire.

From Los Angeles Times

Kissinger’s humor ultimately was a weapon he used to grease the wheels for a variety of reasons, many of which were not simply about laughter.

From Salon

And there were established relationships between Waterford and Charlton that could help grease the wheels.

From BBC

Related Words

• aid
• back
• benefit
• boost
• cooperate
• expedite
• facilitate
• reinforce
• support
• sustain
• take care of