Baksheesh

From the same blog as the last article is this one about Baksheesh. Anyone having been in Egypt knows exactly how that goes.

"My first encounter of "baksheesh" was on a trip to Egypt. The word "baksheesh" connotes several meanings perhaps depending on which side of the country you came from. In the western sense of the word, it is interpreted as "tip" (to insure prompt service), but the Middle East sees "baksheesh" in several shades of meaning.

The word originated from the Persian "bakshish" meaning "gift". It can mean an offering to the gods.

It can also refer to "bribery" or perhaps in a better situation, as "charitable giving", or it can be a token of money as a gratitude for a service received.

Someone can ask for baksheesh and still not come off as begging...

In ... Egypt, nothing is as overwhelming as the constant request of "baksheesh"..."