Mum’s the Word

A bribe is a bribe by any name—and the more euphemistic the name for it, the better. Baksheesh, currently in wide use in the Middle East, is a Persian word that is also found in Turkish and Arabic. It actually means a tip or gratuity given by a boss to his underling. The word was first used extensively to mean a bribe in connection with the money that a new sultan gave his troops. In most Spanish-speaking countries, el soborno means a payoff, but in Mexico payola is aptly described as the bite (la mordida).

The Germans call it Schmiergeld (grease money), though export traders usually simply say N.A. for niitzliche Abgabe (useful contribution). In France, where there is veritas in the vino, a payoff is called a pot-de-vin or jug of wine. The Italians refer to a bribe as a bustarella (little envelope). Under-the-table payments in East Africa go by the sobriquet chai, Swahili for tea.

In onetime British colonies, the words vary widely: a bribe in Nigeria is called dash, in India a backhander. The popular Japanese word for bribe is wairo, but corruption is poetically called kuroi kiri, or black mist.