# grease payment

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/grease-payment
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.

## Examples

- The clerk asked for a grease payment to process the form quickly.
- You often need a grease payment to get your electricity connected faster.
- To ensure the shipment cleared customs without further delay, the manager authorized a small grease payment to the local official.
- The truck driver knew he had to offer a grease payment at the border if he wanted to reach the market before his fruit spoiled.
- While the company maintained a strict policy against corruption, the local representative argued that a modest grease payment was an unavoidable necessity to secure the permit in that region.

## Origin

From grease + payment. The term follows the imagery of a mechanical lubricant, suggesting that a small sum applied to a minor official facilitates the smooth and rapid movement of a bureaucratic process that might otherwise remain stationary.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.