grease payment
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.67 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
American usage
Example Sentences
- "Critics say there is no distinction between extortion and bribery, and that the distinction between a payoff (illegal) and a "grease" payment made to speed along normal duties (legal under the act) is unclear."
- "An important legal distinction is the difference between bribery and “grease payments,” which are paid in these countries not to affect someone’s decision-making but to speed the process of dealing with government."
Etymology
Usage
- American usage