lubrication payment en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
By a metaphor in which facilitating human socioeconomic interaction is portrayed as lubricating machinery (e.g., oiling the gears, greasing the wheels); in this regard, compare also social lubricant.
Meanings
-
(euphemistic, idiomatic) 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.
A lubrication payment is a small payment to low-level business people or government officials to "grease the wheels" of business.
1995, Mark E. Mendenhall et al., Global Management, →ISBN, page 145:Lubrication payments are made with requests for a person to perform a task faster or more efficiently, whereas subornation is an act of asking officials to neglect their duties or do something illegal.
2001, Y. H. Wong, Thomas K. Leung, Guanxi: Relationship marketing in a Chinese context, →ISBN, page 105:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| lubrication payments | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
grease money · baksheesh · palm oil · grease payment
Translations (5)
pl łapówka (euphemism for a bribe) · hu kenőpénz (euphemism for a bribe) · ota بخشش (euphemism for a bribe) · de Schmiergeld (euphemism for a bribe) · fi voiteluraha (euphemism for a bribe)