A Dictionary of Dutchness

Pepernotengeld

Pepernotengeld (the literal translation is ‘mini ginger nut biscuit money’) is cash that is liberally distributed to different projects (like the biscuits during the Sinterklaas celebrations) but does not really exist. First used by companies involved in the construction sector fraud scandal, pepernotengeld now allows politicians to score by saying they are allocating ‘extra’ money to a particular problem.