coffee money
A small amount of money given as a bribe or gratuity.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I gave the guard some coffee money to let me park here.”
“The official refused to sign the permit until I offered him some coffee money to speed up the process.”
“While the transaction was technically legal, the consultant expected a bit of coffee money to ensure the contract was awarded to his preferred firm.”
A euphemism describing a sum sufficient to purchase a single cup of coffee, functioning in its sense of a bribe or gratuity as a calque of the Malay *duit kopi*.
- 01
bees and honey
[Cockney slang]money
- 02
big money
A large amount of money, especially a significant source of revenue or income.
- 03
bread and Honey
[Cockney slang]money
- 04
clean money
Money that is legally or honestly gained or earned.
- 05
coffee talk
Informal conversation among friends or acquaintances, of the kind that occurs in a casual gathering where people sit together and drink coffee.
- 06
conscience money
Money which is voluntarily paid by a party who feels guilt, and seeks to provide compensation, for some past misdeed or negligence.
- 07
cream in one's coffee
Something that one relishes.
- 08
dirty money
Money that is illegally gained, illegally transferred or illegally utilized, especially money gained through forgery, bribery, prostitution, money laundering, or theft.
Last updated August 10, 2026