buy and pay for
English edit
Etymology edit
In the sense "bribe, corrupt", the verb is much rarer than and is probably a back-formation from the adjective bought and paid for.
Verb edit
buy and pay for (third-person singular simple present buys and pays for, present participle buying and paying for, simple past and past participle bought and paid for)
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see buy, pay, for.
- To bribe or corrupt with money from special interests; to obtain by bribery.
- 1952 October 12, Joseph M. Barr, “Letters to the Editor”, in The Pittsburgh Press:
- I presume that the lobbyists of those interests who can afford to buy and pay for special privileges, will read with a great deal of glee that this is now the order of the day.
- 2002, David L. Dukes, The First Black President Blues, →ISBN, page 87:
- The problem was, C.C. had a way of surrounding himself with people he'd bought and paid for, so I suppose you can't really blame him for being a bit confused.
- 2012 October 23, Gail Russell Chaddock, “The 'other' presidential debate: Third-party candidates make their cases”, in Christian Science Monitor:
- "The Constitution has been eviscerated while Democrats have stood by with nary a whimper. It is gutless, unprincipled party, bought and paid for by the same interests that buy and pay for the Republican Party," wrote Anderson to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, denouncing his affiliation with the party.
Usage notes edit
As an idiom, this is almost always used in the past tense "bought and paid for"