graisser

grease, lubricate

verb greh-SAY Rare

Also means

bribe (informal)

Usage Note

Graisser literally means to apply grease or oil to a mechanism, but graisser la patte à quelqu'un is a common idiom meaning 'to bribe someone'. The noun graisse (grease, fat) is closely related and used both in cooking and mechanics.

Examples

"Il faut graisser les roues du vélo."

Natural Translation

You need to grease the bicycle wheels.

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