Money Matters: A Helping (or Thieving!) Hand

Is to help pay the cost of, either in part of full. Often times when students go off to college, they hope that tuition (which is always becoming steeper these days) will be defrayed by any of a number of means: scholarships, parents, burgeoning stock portfolio, or even generous relatives.

Is a regular allowance, usually for a student (yes it seems that many of these money matters are related to students!). Of course stipends aren’t just limited to students; governments provide stipends to a number of different people.

A small amount of money, pittance carries with it a negative connotation: a pittance is inadequate and will do little to take care of one’s cost.

This word means to trick or swindle. This word can function as a verb or as a noun. A dupe is a person who is easily swindled.

• This strange looking word also means to swindle or defraud someone. (Though the swindling doesn’t always have to relate to money.) Mulct can also mean to fine someone.
• The so-called magical diet cure simply ended up mulcting Maria out of hundreds of dollars, but not hundreds of pounds.

Don’t feel sheepish if you thought this word only pertained to the coat of an ovine. As a verb fleece means to swindle or dupe.