grease

views updated May 23 2018

grease • n. / grēs/ oily or fatty matter, in particular: ∎  a thick oily substance used as a lubricant: axle grease. ∎  oil or fat used or produced in cooking. ∎  oily matter in the hair, esp. when used for styling. ∎  the oily matter in unprocessed wool; lanolin.• v. / grēs; grēz/ [tr.] smear or lubricate with grease: [as adj.] (greased) place on a greased baking sheet. PHRASES: grease the palm of inf. bribe (someone).grease the skids inf. help matters run smoothly: his mission was to use his budgetary skills to grease the skids for new projects.grease the wheels help something go smoothly: it is inadequate to grease the wheels of recovery.like greased lightning inf. extremely fast: you come up with plans faster than greased lightning.DERIVATIVES: grease·less adj.ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French graisse, based on Latin crassus ‘thick, fat.’

Grease

views updated May 23 2018

Grease ★★★ 1978 (PG)

Film version of the hit Broadway musical about summer love. Set in the 1950s, this spirited musical follows a group of high-schoolers throughout their senior year. The story offers a responsible moral: act like a tart and you'll get your guy; but, hey, it's all in fun anyway. Followed by a weak sequel. ♫Grease; Summer Nights; Hopelessly Devoted to You; You're the One That I Want; Sandy; Beauty School Dropout; Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee; Greased Lightnin'; It's Raining on Prom Night. 110m/ C VHS, DVD . John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Jeff Conaway, Stockard Channing, Didi Conn, Eve Arden, Frankie Avalon, Sid Caesar, Dinah Manoff, Joan Blondell, Alice Ghostley, Dody Goodman, Kelly Ward, Michael Tucci, Barry Pearl, Edd Byrnes, Susan Buckner, Lorenzo Lamas, Fannie Flagg, Eddie Deezen, Michael Biehn; D: Randal Kleiser; W: Allan Carr; C: Bill Butler; M: John Farrar, Barry Gibb.

grease

views updated May 18 2018

grease melted fat XIII; fat of a beast of the chase XIV. — AN. grece, gresse, (O)F. graisse :- Rom. *crassia, f. L. crassus fat.
Hence grease vb. XV. greasy XVI.