Meanings
nouncold drink money (uncountable)
- South Africaslanguncountablea small bribe
In South Africa such requests are so common that bribes for driving offences are known as “cold drink money”.
2023 April 20, “How to ask for a bribe without asking for a bribe”, in The Economist1 more example
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has welcomed a court judgment that found a Pretoria taxi driver guilty for trying to bribe a traffic officer with R70 ‘cold drink money’.
2019 July 26, “Taxi driver nabbed for offering a R70 ‘cold drink’ bribe”, in BusinessTech
Synonyms & antonyms
Cite this entry
APA
cold drink money. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20drink%20money
MLA
“cold drink money.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20drink%20money. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cold drink money,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20drink%20money.
Source: cold drink money on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.