the.com/grease
the slippery genius that lubricates engines, fries empires, and silences squeaky promises alike
means A thick, oily, slippery substance — whether the lubricant that keeps machines running or the fatty residue from cooking — that reduces friction and resists water.
from From Old French 'graisse' (fat), descended from Latin 'crassus,' meaning 'thick' or 'fat' — the same 'crassus' that gave English 'crass,' so the greasy and the tasteless share a buried root. The verb 'to grease,' meaning to lubricate, is medieval; the figurative 'grease someone's palm' (to bribe) followed centuries later, the image being that money makes a hand slide more willingly.
- word origin
- Latin crassus, meaning fat or thick
- the movie
- highest-grossing musical film of the 1970s
- palm grease
- slang for bribery dates to 1500s English
- fire risk
- never douse a grease fire with water
- diner soul
- greasy spoons named for their unwashed cutlery
grease the 1978 film — musical starring john travolta and olivia newton-john, the highest-grossing musical film of its era
grease broadway musical — opened 1972 at broadhurst theatre, longest-running show on broadway at 3,388 performances until phantom of the opera