subs. (common).—1. A bribe; PALM-OIL (or -GREASE). (q.v. for synonyms). In America BOODLE (q.v.). GREASING = bribing.
1823. BADCOCK (‘Jon Bee’), Dictionary of the Turf, etc., s.v. A bonus given to promote the cause of anyone.
2. (printers’).—Well-paid work; FAT (q.v.).
3. (common).—Fawning; flattery (a figurative use of sense 1).
Verb (old).—1. To bribe; to corrupt by presents; to TIP (q.v.). Also more fully TO GREASE IN THE FIST, HAND, or PALM. Fr., coquer la boucanade. For synonyms, see SQUARE.
1557. TUSSER, Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie, ch. 68, pt. 2, p. 159 (E.D.S.).
| How husbandrie easeth, | |
| to huswiferie pleaseth, | |
| And manie purse GREASETH | |
| with silver and gold. |
1578. WHETSTONE, Promos and Cassandra, ii., 3. GREASE them well in their hands.
1592. GREENE, A Quip for an Upstart Courtier, in wks., xi., 261. That did you not GREASE THE SEALERS of Leaden Hall throughly in the fist, they should never be sealed, but turned away and made forfiet by the statute.
1619. FLETCHER, The Wild-Goose Chase. Am I GREASED once again?
1649. QUARLES, The Virgin Widow, IV., i., p. 40. GREAZE MY FIST with a Tester or two, and ye shall find it in your penny-worths.
1678. COTTON, Scarronides, Bk. IV., p. 70 (ed. 1725).
| Him she conjures, intreats and prays, | |
| With all the Cunning that she has, | |
| GREASES HIS FIST; nay more, engages | |
| Thenceforth to mend his Quarters Wages. |
1693. DRYDEN, Persius, iii., 139.
| Learn this; and after, envy not the store | |
| Of the GREAS’D advocate, that grinds the poor. |
1698–1700. WARD, The London Spy, pt. xv., p. 364.
| But the Gay Curteyan who trades for gold, | |
| That can but GREASE A PALM when she’s in hold, | |
| No Justice need she dread. |
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
1878. PAYN, By Proxy, ch. x. His Excellency, your master, has given orders, I presume, that after I have made my compliments—as delicate a phrase as he could think of for GREASING THE HANDS of justice—I shall be at liberty to visit my friend.
1879. J. W. HORSLEY, ‘Autobiography of a Thief,’ in Macmillan’s Magazine, XL., 502. When I went to the fence he bested (cheated) me because I was drunk, and only gave me 8l. 10s. for the lot. So the next day I went to him and asked him if he was not going to GREASE MY DUKE (put money into my hand).
1891. Pall Mall Gazette, 2 Sept., p. 7, c. 2. Did other people having business with the printing bureau tell you that it would be necessary to GREASE Sénécal?
2. (common).—To fawn; to flatter. Formerly, TO GREASE ONE’S BOOTS.
1598. FLORIO, A Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Onger i stivali, TO GREASE ONES BOOTES, id est, to flatter or cog with, to faune vpon one.
3. (old).—To gull; to cheat; to DO.
TO GREASE A FAT SOW IN THE ARSE, verb. phr. (old).—To bribe a rich man.—GROSE.
TO GREASE ONE’S GILLS, verb. phr. (common).—To make a good or luxurious meal.
