a well-oiled machine

a well-oiled machine

Someone or something that functions very well or efficiently. Trudy and I have been working together in the attendance office for so long, we're like a well-oiled machine at this point.
See also: machine
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • like a well-oiled machine
  • oiled
  • lean, mean (something) machine
  • have down to a T
  • have (something) down to a T
  • take attendance
  • have (something) off to a fine art
  • have (something) down to a fine art
  • have something down to a fine art
  • a peg to hang (something) on
References in periodicals archive
Jaja Santiago was the unstoppable force while Jasmine Nabor kept National University's engine running like a well-oiled machine.
"I watched the Brighton game and it all clicked - they looked a well-oiled machine.
Your coffee shop will never be a well-oiled machine. Your auto service shop will never be a well-oiled machine.
"This is to be expected given that GCSEs and A-levels are delivered by a well-oiled machine, where issues are relatively few and far between.
"And behind the scenes, a well-oiled machine is the phrase that they all use I think, and that's what it is."
It's the sound of a well-oiled machine. Baseball's off-season is a dizzying array activities.
From the laundry to the mess decks, from the engine room to the flight deck, the crew of Nimitz keeps everything working like a well-oiled machine. We also featured the story of Ship's Serviceman 2nd Class Tyrone L.
A father and son team in Waterloo, Iowa is also setting the standard for agriculturists that want to run a farm like a well-oiled machine. Father and son, Curtis and Blake Hollis, jointly own 4,000 acres on which they produce 28,000 market hogs, 2,000 acres of corn and 1,800 acres of soybeans, but are two separate corporations under the name Lanehaven Farm, Inc.
Another key to her success is that the office is "a well-oiled machine," a very efficient organization thanks to a variety of systems that have been developed over the years.
Today, thanks to a LAN network computer system with 45 in-house connections, the tracking of 40 rest home, 136 intermediate care, and 312 independent-living residents runs like a well-oiled machine: efficient, organized, cost-effective, and far less stressful.
This ward runs like a well-oiled machine and the NHS should be proud.