Question: In describing a previous rule change, one could write:

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> "The school administration updated their rules last week to say that red is no longer a color."
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but many times (mostly in the news), they will add something such as "quietly", implying deception, or with other words, more than one mental image for the same statement.

My description is off, but I'm hoping someone knows what I'm referring to, and can help me identify what this device would be called.

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> Ex1. "The school board last week, **quietly** passed a rule stating that red is no longer a color".
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> Ex2. "The ranking member stated, **without evidence**, that red seemed to imply emotion rather than a visual cue".
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Both of these statements could have been written without the bold word.

Answer: 
While not a single word, the term is regularly used as one:

* **[down payment](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/down%20payment)** - "a part of the full price paid at the time of purchase or delivery with the balance to be paid later".
There are also the words "earnest" (no connection with other words so spelled) and "pledge". Maybe I would use "earnest" in this case, although these words are oftener used for a longer joint undertaking than an hour or twain of tutoring.
There is another case of early payment, in case of, say, a carpenter or plumber or such hired for a job, who also buys the material for it. For this, though, I would use the aforesaid expression "up front" and call it an up-front payment, payment up front for up-front costs.