From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthe wheels of somethingthe wheels of somethingthe way in which a complicated organization, system etc works We hope that the next government will do more to keep the wheels of industry turning (=help it to work smoothly and easily).oil/grease the wheels (of something) (=help something to work more smoothly and easily) The money people spend at Christmas oils the wheels of the economy. → wheel
Examples from the Corpus
the wheels of something• Meanwhile, the police had found the abandoned car, and the wheels of the law began to turn.• Isobel had heard the wheels of his car on the gravel.• Christmas cash keeps the wheels of the economy oiled.• Its fans hung stalled above them like the wheels of an extinct machine.• Faster and faster spun the wheels of light, and the throbbing of the drums accelerated with them.• This signal triggered the wheels of the mobot and propelled it to right in front of the can.• Almost shoulder to shoulder they were lined along the road, hurling gravel non-stop under the wheels of the passing trucks. 