In accounting, a slush fund is a monetary fund or account used for miscellaneous income and expenses, particularly when these are corrupt or illegal. Such funds may be kept hidden and maintained separately from money that is used for legitimate purposes. Slush funds may be employed by government or corporate officials in efforts to pay influential people discreetly in return for preferential treatment, advance information (such as non-public information in financial transactions), and other services.
‘Slush fund’ was originally a nautical term for the cash that a ship’s crew raised by selling fat (slush) scraped from cooking pots to tallow makers. This cash was kept separate from the ship’s accounts and used to make small purchases for the crew.
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The Daily Omnivore 