chequebook

"Nobody opens a chequebook when you receive an MND diagnosis - you need money to get by, and so does your family."

But now the chequebook seems to have gone back in the pocket of the prime minister's expensively-cut suit.

Five minutes later, a marketing guy comes running up with a chequebook.

Increasingly Taipei relied on its chequebook to hold on to a dwindling list of allies, mainly in the form of aid and investment.

On Tuesday, they will meet in Bern for an extraordinary session to discuss Credit Suisse's downfall as well as the government's open chequebook response.