sweetheart deals
Cozy contract terms
Sweetheart deals are agreements that give unusually favorable terms to one party, typically because of a personal relationship or corrupt arrangement rather than fair negotiation.
The phrase implies something improper—an insider getting benefits unavailable to others: The mayor's brother got a sweetheart deal on the city contract.
Common in business and politics, where such arrangements may be legal but ethically questionable.
- smoke-filled roomsSecretive political decision-making venues
- behind closed doorsIn private, unobserved
- collusionFraudulent secret cooperation
- favoritismPreferential treatment of some
- nepotismPreferring kin in hiring
cronyism · good old boys · friends and family · negotiations · corruption · quid pro quo · pay to play · bribery · palm greasing · influence peddling · contracts · agreements · kickback · privileges · insider trading · under the table · bargains · dark money
- corruptioncorruption, graft, kickbacks, bribery, bribes
- ethics violationsbribery, bribes, kickbacks, kickback, nepotism
- influence peddlinginfluence peddling, backscratching, quid pro quo, kickbacks, payoffs
- corporate crimescorporate fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, price fixing, embezzlement
- fiscal abusegraft, kickbacks, misappropriation, misuse of funds, waste
- patronagepolitical patronage, patrons, benefactors, sponsors, donors
sweetheart dealscompetitive bidding
Rivals offering prices
public auction · open competition · merit-based selection · market competition
sweet, sweetheart, sweethearts, sweetly, sweetness, sweeten, sweetened, sweetening, sweetener