tea money
n.— «While Vietnam operates in a very centralized, federalist system, with little variance in local laws, a much greater variance exists in the application and enforcement of national laws. “Tea money,” common parlance for bribes, is a regular cost of doing business and manifests itself in every facet of life, from dealing with traffic cops to dealing with higher-ranking government officials.» —“Day 3 in Saigon” by Tommy Perkins in Vietnam Hot Freaks and Other Roadside Attractions (Austin, Texas) Mar. 9, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means “money.” In the same way, cat beer isn’t alcoholic — some people use cat beer as a joking term for “milk.” And imagine walking on a...
After our conversation about knitters’ slang, including the term stash, meaning “a supply of yarn not currently in use,” a Texas listener shares the message she saw on a sign at her local crafts shop: I hope my husband...