the squeaking wheel gets the grease

the squeaking wheel gets the grease

proverb The person complaining or protesting the loudest or most frequently is the one who will receive the most attention from others. My sister makes a point of writing letters of complaint to businesses whenever she has an issue with their service, and nine times out of ten, she's rewarded with some kind of discount or gift. I guess it's true, the squeaking wheel gets the grease.
See also: get, grease, squeak, wheel
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • teach a man to fish
  • it takes a village
  • village
  • Caesar's wife must be above suspicion
  • a man is judged by the company he keeps
  • a man is known by the company he keeps
  • best-laid plans go astray, the
  • the best-laid plans
  • the best-laid plans go astray
  • the best-laid plans of mice and men
References in periodicals archive
He maintained that trying to be "nice" Indians got his people nowhere, as "only the squeaking wheel gets the grease."
Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement