James Fenimore Cooper made mention of a slush fund in one of his sea novels back in 1842. The expression has its origins in the surplus fat or grease from fried salt pork, a staple food on nineteenth century ships, which was usually sold in port after a voyage. The money raised from the slush was put into a general fund used to purchase little luxuries for the crew. These were the first slush funds, but by 1866 the term was being applied to a contingent fund set aside by Congress from an operating budget. In another decade or so, slush fund took on its present meaning of a secret fund used for bribes or other corrupt practices, such as buying votes.