tea money

American  

noun

1. (especially in parts of China) a bribe used to facilitate any business dealing.

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Example Sentences

Land and property are very expensive, and there's the issue of "tea money", the financial lubrication required to get official transactions completed on time.

From BBC

The payments go by a variety of euphemisms: tea money for a court stenographer, unlocking fees for court records and tributes for judges.

From New York Times

There had to be money for bribes—tea money, Uncle called it—at both ends of the ocean.

From Literature

On top of all that, there is the lack of clarity over the rule of law, an intermittent electricity supply, crumbling infrastructure and what Mr Thein calls the practice of paying "tea money" - small bribes to expedite the cumbersome bureaucracy.

From BBC

If necessary they would have collected the tea money.

From The Guardian