Conscience money
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Money which is voluntarily paid by a party who feels guilt, and seeks to provide compensation, for some past misdeed or negligence. idiomatic, uncountable
"The Secretary of the Treasury is almost daily in receipt of installments of conscience-money, which the perturbed moral sense of a guilty office-holder or other defrauder of the government suggests the payment of in order to obtain "a still and quiet conscience.""
- 2 payment made voluntarily to reduce guilt over dishonest dealings wordnet
Example
More examples"The Secretary of the Treasury is almost daily in receipt of installments of conscience-money, which the perturbed moral sense of a guilty office-holder or other defrauder of the government suggests the payment of in order to obtain "a still and quiet conscience.""