grease the wheels

present singular third person greases the wheels · participle present greasing the wheels · participle past greased the wheels · past greased the wheels

1. idiomaticTo create conditions likely to produce or hasten favorable future developments.

   Worker mobility, which greases the wheels of hiring, dropped off sharply last year.

   2011 June 8, Roya Wolverson, “Why is Chronic Joblessness on the Rise?”, in Time, retrieved 18 May 2014

   3 more examples

   Once a way of greasing the wheels of a gruesome bureaucracy, bribery has now become part of the cost of doing business.

   1992 March 14, Celestine Bohlen, “Corruption Grows Greedy in Russia”, in New York Times, retrieved 18 May 2014

   [T]he banks will feel more comfortable about lending to each other, which is something we desperately need to help grease the wheels of the economy.

   2008 July 5, Mark Dampier, “The Analyst: Why it's time to get back into bonds”, in The Independent, UK, retrieved 18 May 2014

   People will be more inclined to pay sooner if they can pay less – even a small discount might be enough to speed up the process and help grease the wheels.

   2013 February 21, Johnny Martin, “Top tips to ensure you get paid on time”, in The Guardan, UK, retrieved 18 May 2014

   Synonyms: pave the way, set the stage