green handshake

noun

A bribe, or a transfer of money that the interested parties represent as a tip but that disinterested third parties are likely to view as a bribe.

“ended the long local tradition of green handshakes for building inspectors”

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Meanings

noungreen handshake (plural green handshakes)

plural green handshakes

  1. idiomaticA bribe, or a transfer of money that the interested parties represent as a tip but that disinterested third parties are likely to view as a bribe.

    ended the long local tradition of green handshakes for building inspectors

Origin

Because U.S. dollar bills are green; the term reflects euphemistic irony, as it implies that a handshake that hands them off is more than a mere handshake.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

green handshake. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20handshake

MLA

“green handshake.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20handshake. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “green handshake,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20handshake.

Source: green handshake on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.