Behind the guards came a horde of palace servants, as silent and efficient as well-oiled machinery, scooping up the fallen baggage and leading off the pack animals.

His orders went to chaps like Wally; and the well-oiled machinery moved.

Everything was clicking like well-oiled machinery.

Hers was a cold, controlled presence, her thoughts as precise and unemotional as well-oiled machinery.

The show had been on the road for nearly two weeks now, and every department was working like a piece of well-oiled machinery.

Mr. Cole's quintet, which featured himself on piano and Gerry Byrd on guitar, played with a seamless coordination that suggested the meshing of well-oiled machinery.

With a soft whine of well-oiled machinery, a panel slid back to reveal a well-equipped laboratory.

This time his muscles responded like smooth well-oiled machinery, flexing and taking the strain of the heavy weight.

A well-oiled machinery for the creation and diffusion of fads is now an entrenched part of the modern economy.

For a large part of the 20th century this well-oiled denominational machinery imposed a remarkable uniformity on what was, in principle, a highly decentralized collection of churches.