Webcentive Proverbs

Proverb from United States

American English

The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Meaning

The people who complain or speak up the loudest are the ones who get attention and help first.

Source

Wolfgang Mieder, Stewart A. Kingsbury and Kelsie B. Harder (eds.), A Dictionary of American Proverbs (Oxford University Press, 1992), entries under “wheel”, on Google Books

Mieder’s dictionary also records longer American variants, such as “… wheel that does the squeaking is the one that gets the grease.”

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What is a proverb? A short, well-known, and memorable saying that expresses a common truth, practical experience, or piece of advice.

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