In the 15th century, powerful folk often rubbed palms with the oil of angels. This referred to the English coins bearing the image of Michael the Archangel which lent immediate and soothing relief to those with outstretched hands.

Even then, there was nothing like a little lubricant to help things run more smoothly — a tradition we continued with greased palms and greased wheels— variations of kickback or payola from the 1930s. Today’s process is slicker than ever. It begins with a solicitation from the Latin, solicitare to “move violently, stir, or agitate,” implying some kind of shakedown. It ends in a subsidy.

A subsidy is a thing sitting nearby, from the Latin sub, “under” and sedere, “to sit.” It initially referred to the Roman military reserves who knelt in the background, waiting for the proper moment to be called into action — not unlike special interests in America today.

Bribery’s never mentioned. It’s too gauche for words. The Old French bribe was a morsel of bread given to a beggar, a cheap way of buying him off and much too coarse for today’s sophisticated power brokers. When did you last hear of a Congressman accepting a bribe? Or corporations getting a pay-off? Subsidies and solicitations, yes — bribes, never.