A small gift can grease the skids for a new deal.
grease the skids
idiomTo create conditions likely to produce or hasten favorable future developments.
The manager offered extra benefits to the staff to grease the skids for the upcoming merger.
By offering early concessions to the opposition, the diplomat sought to grease the skids for a more productive peace negotiation later in the week.
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elbow grease
Effort or hard work, especially physical work involving repeated motion of the forearm, such as scrubbing.
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grease monkey
A mechanic, often with the specific connotation of an automobile mechanic.
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grease payment
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.
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grease someone's palm
To bribe a person.
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grease the wheels
To create conditions likely to produce or hasten favorable future developments.
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hit the skids
To fail; to decline.
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yellow grease
Used vegetable oil purposed for use as biodiesel.