'To pay someone off'?

[Mehrgan]

Hi,

Is there any informal verb meaning 'to buy someone's silence' for very ordinary situations? (Say, when at school a kid gives his snack to a friend so that he won't tell on him?!)

 

[MikeNewYork]

Hi,

Is there any informal verb meaning 'to buy someone's silence' for very ordinary situations? (Say, when at school a kid gives his snack to a friend so that he won't tell on him?!)

"Pay someone off" works. A single word would be "bribe".

 

[Mehrgan]

Thanks! Then can 'pay off' be used for something other than money? (As in the the following sentence

'He said he was going to tell on me, so I had to pay him off my snack!'

 

[emsr2d2]

Thanks! Then can 'pay off' be used for something other than money? (As in the the following sentence

'He said he was going to tell on me, so I had to pay him off my snack!'

No. The phrase "to pay him off" means "to give him money (or something else that he wants) so that he doesn't tell on me". It is possible that you gave him your snack as a pay-off but then you would say "I had to pay him off by giving him my snack".

 

[Mehrgan]

Yes, I know I should've only pressed the 'like' button,...but, please,...'THANK YOU'!!!