cross someone's palm with silver

cross someone's palm with silver
cross someone's palm with silver
Fig. to pay money to someone in payment for a service. (A fortune-teller might ask for a potential customer to cross her palm with silver. Used in that sense or jocularly for something like tipping a porter.) •

I crossed his palm with silver, but he still stood there.

You will find that things happen much faster in hotels if you cross the staff 's palms with silver fairly often.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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  • cross someone's palm with silver — cross someone’s palm with silver humorous phrase to give money to someone, especially so that they will tell your fortune (=say what will happen to you in the future) Thesaurus: to spend or to pay moneysynonym Main entry: cross * * * often …   Useful english dictionary

  • cross someone's palm with silver — ► cross someone s palm with silver often humorous pay someone for a service, especially fortune telling. Main Entry: ↑cross …   English terms dictionary

  • cross someone's palm with silver — often humorous pay someone for a favour or service, especially having one s fortune told. → cross …   English new terms dictionary

  • cross someone's palm with silver — humorous to give money to someone, especially so that they will tell your fortune (= say what will happen to you in the future) …   English dictionary

  • cross someone's palm — verb To give money to a person, especially as a bribe or as an inducement to perform a service. For all who cross his palm with silver he condescends to lift the drapery that hides the reclining figure, and the larger the coin the longer the look …   Wiktionary

  • cross — ► NOUN 1) a mark, object, or figure formed by two short intersecting lines or pieces (+ or x). 2) an upright post with a transverse bar, as used in antiquity for crucifixion. 3) a cross shaped decoration awarded for bravery or indicating rank in… …   English terms dictionary

  • cross — I UK [krɒs] / US [krɔs] verb Word forms cross : present tense I/you/we/they cross he/she/it crosses present participle crossing past tense crossed past participle crossed *** 1) [intransitive/transitive] to go from one side of something such as a …   English dictionary

  • cross — /krɒs / (say kros) noun 1. a structure consisting essentially of an upright and a transverse piece, upon which persons were formerly put to death. 2. a figure of the cross as a Christian emblem, badge, etc. 3. the cross as the symbol of… …  

  • cross — noun 1》 a mark, object, or figure formed by two short intersecting lines or pieces (+ or ×). 2》 an upright post with a transverse bar, as used in antiquity for crucifixion.     ↘(the Cross) the cross on which Christ was crucified. 3》 a thing that …   English new terms dictionary

  • cross — cross1 W2S2 [krɔs US kro:s] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(go from one side to another)¦ 2¦(cross a line etc)¦ 3¦(two roads/lines etc)¦ 4¦(legs/arms/ankles)¦ 5 cross somebody s mind 6 cross somebody s face 7 cross your fingers 8¦(breed of plant/animal)¦ 9 somebody …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • cross — cross1 W2S2 [krɔs US kro:s] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(go from one side to another)¦ 2¦(cross a line etc)¦ 3¦(two roads/lines etc)¦ 4¦(legs/arms/ankles)¦ 5 cross somebody s mind 6 cross somebody s face 7 cross your fingers 8¦(breed of plant/animal)¦ 9 somebody …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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