greaser

See also: Greaser

English

Etymology

grease +‎ -er. Applied to mechanics because they frequently become greasy during the course of their work. Applied to toughs because they frequently greased their hair, and, like greaseball, to Italians for the same reason. Applied to Mexicans because, at the time the phrase originated, they commonly worked greasing the axles of carts.

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -iːsə(ɹ)

Noun

greaser (plural greasers)

Someone or something that greases (applies grease).
- 1942, Emily Carr, “Regatta”, in The Book of Small:
  The pole was greased and men tried to walk out to the end of it and dislodge the crate. The pole was supple, the crate swayed as each man crept out clinging desperately and finally fell off into the sea. […] People roared with laughter and greasers applied fresh grease for the next person's try.
- 1961 March, “Talking of trains”, in Trains Illustrated, page 131:
  ... incidentally, our correspondent tells of a West Indian who applied for a job at Kings Cross as motion greaser - but with no idea of what he would have to grease and why. Invited to find out and return within a month, he did, and nowadays the Kings Cross engines are as efficiently greased as any on B.R.
(slang) A mechanic.
(slang) A biker, a tough.
(slang) A rocker or metalhead, especially one who listens to 1950s rock and roll or 1980s thrash metal.
(US, offensive, ethnic slur) A Latin American, especially a Mexican.
- 1907, Stewart Edward White, chapter 11, in Arizona Nights‎:
  A pair of Greasers were ahead of me, but I could see only their outlines, and they didn't seem to interfere any with the scenery.
(US, offensive, ethnic slur) An Italian.
(US, offensive, ethnic slur) A Greek.

Derived terms

flange greaser

Translations

someone or something that greases

Finnish: rasvaaja, voitelija, rasvari

slang: mechanic

Finnish: monttööri (fi), rasvari

slang: biker

slang: rocker or metalhead

Finnish: rasvaletti (fi), rasvis

Anagrams

Greears, agreers, regears, rerages