Brown Envelope
Article from wikipedia, created by Nimrod Kamer, 27.2.2007.
Brown envelope - a term to describe a brown colored envelope. It is used in and known in government, business and popular culture as a mean to deliver concealed material - bribe money, secret papers or any sort of "under the table" transfer.
Yes Minister
In the 1980s BBC television situation comedies Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister the term "Brown Envelope" is mentioned frequently by Sir Humphrey Appleby. It is also defined on a Yes Minster fansite [1] as a "Brown Envelope Job" - "Action that is performed very secretively. It refers to slush money that is usually delivered in brown envelopes. Mentioned in the YM episode The Challenge regarding the plan of Dr. Cartwright on pre-set failure standards. In the Yes Minister episode The Moral Dimension brown envelopes are also supposedly used with the bribery for the British Electronic Systems contract with Qumran." 
UK news rhetorical references
In news rhetoric and especially in British broadcast news the term Brown Envelope is traditionally used in connection to top secret documents. For example: "For the journalist in search of a story to beat his or her rivals, there is nothing more welcome than the brown envelope with the classified documents, the tip off about a big inquiry's findings or the tale of Cabinet Room bust-up." [2].
Other popular culture use
In the ABS-CBN soap opera Maging Sino Ka Man the term in mentioned in an unidentified episode, again as a mean to pack concealed information (in this instance - stolen shots): "Corazon Roxas Vda. De Berenguer: Good for the company? Or good for you? (slams a brown envelope containing stolen shots of Jaime and Celine at the resort.)". from wikiquote.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_envelope"
Categories: Postal system, Stationery, Paper products, Office equipment, Envelopes.
