IdiomAnimals
Polish
Polishwziąć w łapę
Meaning: To take a bribe or to accept money corruptly.
Literally: To take in the paw
Example: “Urzędnik wziął w łapę i wydał pozwolenie.” — The official had his palm greased and issued the permit.
English equivalent: To grease someone's palm
Equivalents in other languages
French: Graisser la patte Literally: To grease the paw
English: grease someone's palm
Origin: Łapa is an animal's paw, used colloquially for a hand, and taking something into one's paw is taking a bribe. The Polish word for a bribe, łapówka, belongs to the same family as łapa and łapać (to grab). The phrase is colloquial and has no particular story behind it.
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