What does boodle mean?
Boodle is an American slang term for money or valuables, with a strong historical association with funds gained through bribery, corruption, or other dishonest dealings. In late nineteenth-century United States politics, 'boodle' became notorious as shorthand for the bribes and kickbacks that flowed between contractors and municipal officials, so much so that corrupt practices were described as 'boodling.' A second, broader use appears in the colloquial phrase 'the whole boodle,' meaning the complete amount or the entirety of something, much like 'the whole kit and caboodle.' The word carries an informal register and, in its graft sense, distinctly negative connotations of dirty money. Though less common today than synonyms like loot or swag, it remains useful for writers discussing political corruption with period flavor, and its rhyme-friendly sound has kept it alive in idiomatic speech.
Money or valuables, particularly when obtained through bribery, corruption, or fraudulent means.
"The newspaper exposed how the boodle was divided among the county commissioners."
Informal American slang; strongly associated with late 19th-century political corruption.
The whole amount or entirety of something, chiefly in the phrase 'the whole boodle.'
"They packed up the whole boodle and moved to Oregon."
Rarely pluralized; the word usually functions as a mass noun referring to money collectively.
"Historians have catalogued the boodles exchanged during the era's notorious machine politics."
In 1890s New York, 'boodling' was such notorious slang for bribing politicians that it gave its name to an entire era of civic corruption.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of boodle
Boodle entered American English as slang in the nineteenth century, most likely borrowed from Dutch 'boedel,' meaning property, estate, or possessions — fitting given the large Dutch influence on New York speech, where the word's corruption sense later flourished. Its exact first attestation is uncertain, but by the 1880s–1890s it was firmly established in American political journalism as a term for bribe money. It is unrelated to 'caboodle,' which derives from a separate English dialect source, though the two words have influenced each other in popular usage.
How boodle is actually used
Informal and chiefly American. The corruption sense is somewhat dated but remains in historical and journalistic writing about political graft; the 'whole boodle' phrase survives colloquially alongside the similar 'whole kit and caboodle.'
Easily confused with boodle
'Caboodle' means the whole collection or lot of something ('the whole caboodle'), while 'boodle' refers to money, often ill-gotten; 'kit and caboodle' is about everything included, not cash.