Grease
Grease turns up in 2 fields: tribology, printing. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Grease in tribology
Semi-solid lubricant made of oil held in a thickener sponge, usually with additives.
A lubricant in which base oil, typically 70 to 95 percent of the mass, is trapped in a fibrous or particle thickener so it stays where plain oil would run out. Under shear and heat the thickener releases oil to the contact; at rest it holds the oil in place and helps seal out dirt and water. Greases are specified by thickener type, base oil viscosity, NLGI grade and additives, and most rolling bearings in a plant run on them.
"That grease is an EP2 lithium complex on a 220 base oil, fine for the fan bearings."
Grease in printing
A historic term for typesetting work with lots of blank space that paid well.
In older piece-rate typesetting, this was a nickname for copy that contained extensive blank spaces, short lines, or simple layouts. Because compositors were paid by the line or page, these jobs required less physical type to set but yielded the same pay as dense text. It allowed a typesetter to earn their wage with much less physical effort.
"Give me that poetry manuscript, it's pure grease and I want an easy afternoon at the case."