grease paint

American  

noun

1. an oily mixture of melted tallow or grease and a pigment, used by actors, clowns, etc., for making up their faces.

2. theatrical makeup.

---

Etymology

Origin of grease paint

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

In his Halloween paso doble showcase, he wore a clerical collar and forewent grease paint or creepy contacts, relying on wide-eyed expressions and a low-slung layer of fake fog to hide his relatively clumsy footwork.

From Salon • Nov. 4, 2025

They said she had makeup that was like grease paint that was melting off her face.

From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2020

Fitting for a portrayal pair of Broadway superstars, the series has grease paint running through its DNA.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2019

Though all this looked like comic opera, President de la Guardia saw beneath the grease paint.

From Time Magazine Archive

This is like backstage: grease paint, smoke, the materials of illusion.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood