cross someone's palm en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To pay for goods or a service.
"I'd go into a trance and see if I could locate my chum." "You don't have to do that," declared Arnold. "Just cross my palm with a piece of silver and I'll locate him for you."
1915, G. Harvey Ralphson, chapter 28, in Boy Scouts in Southern Waters:For all who cross his palm with silver he condescends to lift the drapery that hides the reclining figure, and the larger the coin the longer the look.
1910 October 12, “Pay to See Barney Statue: Hindu Butler Reaping a Harvest from Washington's Curious Folk”, in New York Times, retrieved 08 Apr 2009, page 1:After crossing his palm with a donation, I felt entitled at least to ask where he was from.
2004 May 9, A. C. Snow, “Wasted lives beckon us to look”, in News & Observer, USA, retrieved 08 Apr 2009:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| crossed someone's palm | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| crossed someone's palm | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| cross someone's palm with silver | alternative | lexicographic | |
| crossing someone's palm | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| crosses someone's palm | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Relateds
Translations (7)
it elargire denaro (Translations) · fi voidella (Translations) · pl płacić (Translations) · it farsi predire il futuro (Translations) · pl zapłacić (Translations) · it donare (Translations) · ru позолоти́ть ру́чку /lit:gild the hand/ (Translations)