squeaky wheel

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squeaky wheel

Where it comes from

From the proverb "the squeaky wheel gets the grease"/oil.

noun squeaky wheels

A complainer; one who speaks out when there are problems (often pejorative). When I went to those who we needed to get the resources from, I got the title of being the squeaky wheel. Everyone is not going to be a squeaky wheel, but I believe that if we want something and are persistent enough, we will get it...
Similar: spokesperson, troublemaker, whiner
Of several problems, the most apparent or the most urgent. And it is pretty hard to get government, as you know, ahead of the curve. We always respond to the squeaky wheel when things get bad, but you know, clearly there is food for thought in the observation of where we are in our commodity industries.

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MLA

"squeaky wheel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/squeaky%20wheel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

squeaky wheel. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/squeaky%20wheel

Chicago

"squeaky wheel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/squeaky%20wheel.

BibTeX

@misc{squeaky_wheel_2026,
  title = {squeaky wheel},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/squeaky%20wheel},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}