What does greaser mean?
Greaser originally referred to a worker whose job was to apply grease to machinery and keep moving parts operating smoothly. In figurative use, it describes a flatterer or sycophant: someone who offers excessive praise, agreement, or attention to gain favor from another person. The occupational sense is now uncommon and has a dated, industrial quality, but the figurative sense remains familiar in informal English. Calling someone a greaser is generally hostile because it portrays them as opportunistic rather than sincerely appreciative or loyal. The related verb, to greaser, means to flatter someone excessively, particularly a person in authority. Although the word can describe either a person or the act of ingratiation, modern usage most often carries the derogatory figurative meaning.
A person who lubricates machinery with grease, especially in an older occupational context.
"Every morning, the greaser moved through the workshop with an oil can."
This occupational sense is dated but still understood.
A person who flatter or ingratiates themselves with others, especially to gain favor or personal advantage.
"Several colleagues regarded him as a greaser who agreed with the director at every turn."
Usually derogatory and informal.
To flatter someone excessively or seek favor by offering praise and agreement.
"He spent the meeting greasing the senator in hopes of securing a grant."
Informal and transitive; often implies insincere or opportunistic behavior.
The plural is used for people in either the occupational or figurative sense.
"The two greasers serviced the bearings before the machines were switched on."
From the grease that made machinery move smoothly came the label for one of politics' smoothest operators.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does greaser come from?
Greaser was formed from grease plus the agent suffix -er, meaning a person who applies or works with grease. Grease entered Middle English from Old French gras, meaning “fat” or “oily substance,” ultimately from Latin crassus, “thick or fat.” The occupational sense for a person who lubricates machinery developed before the early 20th century. By that period, greaser had also acquired the derogatory figurative sense of a flatterer, an extension associated with the idea of applying oily or ingratiating language to others.
Related word forms
How greaser is actually used
The occupational noun is now largely dated, though it remains intelligible in older accounts of industrial work. The figurative noun is informal and usually derogatory. The verb is also informal and generally transitive: a person greasers a superior by offering praise or flattering attention.