caisse noire

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French

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French Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia fr

Etymology

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The term dates from the first half of the 19th century, stemming from near-clandestine efforts by railway workers at improvised health insurance, for which they would pass around a black crate, to which each worker would contribute.

See the French Wikipedia article for more information.

Pronunciation

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  • Audio:(file)
  • Audio (Canada):(file)

Noun

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caisse noire f (plural caisses noires)

  1. slush fund (money stored for illegal or dishonest purposes)

Descendants

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  • ? German: schwarze Kasse (calque)