吃空额

to embezzle by adding to the payroll employees existing in name only

to eat / to consume / to eat at (a cafeteria etc) / to eradicate / to destroy / to absorb / to suffer / to stammer (Taiwan pr. for this sense is [ji2])

variant of 吃[chi1]

empty / air / sky / in vain

to empty / vacant / unoccupied / space / leisure / free time

vacancy / unfilled work place

variant of 額|额[e2]

forehead / horizontal tablet or inscribed board / specified number or amount