Tea money: Is there a Thai euphemism involving “tea”?

[lkn]

I’ve heard about a “coffee fund”, e.g. if you run a shop and occasionally provide a service where you feel you should charge the customer, but don’t want to put it on the books (and declare VAT, pay taxes, etc.) you put the cash in the shop’s “coffee fund” (a pot or box with cash that is used to “buy coffee” or anything vaguely related, e.g. cake for the staff or what have you).

 

When I saw references to “tea money” I always assumed that it was akin to the above, i.e. “here is a contribution to your office’s tea fund” (as an euphemism for a bribe).

 

But then it occured to me, Thais don’t drink much tea, do they (ignoring iced tea)?

 

I did a bit of googling and word lookups, and I can’t actually find any Thai euphemism for a bribe that involves the word “tea”, and asking a Thai if they knew what I meant with เงินชา they had no idea what I was talking about.

 

I do know that tea has historically been used as money, but it seems like a weird euphemism as many things have been used for money, and while we may use some of these items as placeholders for money, the expression is “tea money” (stressing that it is money) and often “in a brown envelope” (implying we are talking about bills).

 

So I wonder, is “tea money” perhaps just an English expression that is just used in expat circles?

[brokenbone]

ka nam cha/ ka kaffae / tip tam road tea money coffee money tip police

[tgeezer]

Google seems to say that the origin is uncertain but I think that the Bangkok Post article referred to it as English. I am English and had never heard of tea money until I came to Thailand when I was in my thirties and I didn’t see it as a bribe so much as a joining fee but I suppose that would depend on how it was used. I tell the girls at the golf club that the tip is for the office coffee fund and I take it from the change given me after paying the Green Fee. 

There is a tradition of exchanging gifts when meeting which we don’t do in England so maybe we have a reason to resent being asked. 

[ezzra]

In this country, the bribing business is so bold that it is understood, accepted and practiced as a matter of fact, and in some instances, bold enough to come up and ask for it with a strait face, some say it is a big part of what oils the economy...

[tgeezer]

This would appear to be one aspect of Thai culture with which farang are expected to conform.