bustarella

bribe

noun boo-stah-REL-lah Rare

Also means

backhander

Usage Note

Bustarella is a diminutive of busta (envelope), originally alluding to cash slipped in an envelope. It is entirely colloquial and implies a small, unofficial payment to grease the wheels — not a large-scale corruption payment (tangente). The plural is bustarelle.

Examples

"Gli offrirono una bustarella per chiudere un occhio."

Natural Translation

They offered him a bribe to turn a blind eye.

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