ledger and expense account, is never boodle; but when a sum—a thousand dollars, more or less—is given to some one to use in influencing a third party, given perhaps in silence and certainly without requiring any writing of acknowledgment or obligation—that is boodle. Boodle is money used for purposes of bribery and corruption; and the same word is employed to indicate the money that comes as spoils, the result of some secret deal, the profits of which are silently divided. The term is likewise used to cover the ill-gotten gains of the bank robber, or the absconding cashier. 'He carried away so much boodle.' In elections the primaries have to be 'fixed,' a great many men have to be 'seen'; in short, the amount of money that it seems necessary in some cases to use to elect a few honest public servants is a thing to wonder at. And when these men are elected, it appears that they often lose the power of distinguishing between 'straight money' and boodle. The word seems destined to take its permanent place in the language.—See also Boodlers.
1884. Boston (Mass.) Globe, Oct. 7. 'Sinews of war,' and 'living issues,' 'soap,' and other synonyms for campaign boodle are familiar. [m.]
1888. Philadelphia Bulletin, 24 Feb. The best man in the world cannot make an honest living by being a City Council-*man. The office is an unsalaried one, and any money that is made out of it is boodle. This is the new term for plunder, fraud and every form of stealing that can be practised by office-holders, who, in the practice, add the crime of perjury. It is an easy business for men of easy virtue.
1888. Puck's Library, May, p. 3. In the evening, up the street, As you see him passing by, You're convinced his mind's replete With the legal science high; That he ponders of divorce, Or, of boodle cases great; That he spends all day, of course, Fighting counsel for the State.
3. (American thieves'.)—Amongst the thieving fraternity boodle is used to denote money that is actually spurious or counterfeit, and not merely money used for nefarious purposes, but which as currency is genuine enough.
4. (American general.)—Money. This is the latest sense imported into the word. The transition by which it has come to be synonymous with 'dust,' 'pieces,' 'rhino,' 'oof,' etc., is an easy one.—See Actual.
1888. Puck's Library, Jan., p. 4. Shakey, take a fader's plessing, Take it, for you ket it sheap; Go in hot for making money, Go in for to make a heap. Don' you do no dings vot's grooked, Don' you do no dings vot's mean— Aber rake right in dot boodle, Qviet, calm, and all serene.
To carry boodle is to utter base coinage.—See Boodler.
Fake-boodle, subs. (American thieves').—A roll of paper over which, after folding, a dollar bill is pasted, and another bill being loosely wrapped round this it looks as if the whole roll is made up of a large sum of money in bills.
Boodler, subs. (American political).—1. One who bribes or corrupts.—See Boodle, sense 2.
1888. Omaha World. American. 'As you are a native of Canada I suppose you think that country is all right, but for my part I should hate most awfully to be a subject of a queen.' Canadian. 'The queen is a mere figure-head; there is no difference at all between Canada and the United States.' 'Come to think, I believe you do have elections there.'
