boodle (BOOD-l) noun

An illegal payment, as in graft.

verb intr.

To take money dishonestly, especially from graft.

[From Dutch boedel (property).]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=boodle

-Anu Garg (garg wordsmith.org)


Hmmm, the original Dutch definition (printed above in red) sounds like it would be the root of the expression "the whole kit and ka-boodle" - which means ALL of your property.

That said, I wonder how it went from meaning property to meaning making money dishonestly.