be a racket
1. To be great deal of noise or a loud commotion. There's an awful racket outside the house. What's all that racket, kids? A: "Well, that was quite a racket!" B: "Yeah, looks like raccoons got into our trashcans."
2. To be fraudulent, dishonest, or illegal as a means of generating profit. Any scheme that promises to help you get rich quick is nothing but a racket. Extortion is just one of the mob's many rackets that it runs. Don't give Rich any money—if he comes to you with some ingenious idea, know that it's just a racket.
3. slang To provide an easy and profitable living, as of a business or occupation. This freelance work can be a pretty good racket if you have the right connections. Did you see the big house he has? I had no idea being an inventor was such a racket! Everyone thinks that running a tech start-up is a racket, without seeing all the late nights and hard work that goes into it.
juice racket
An illegal money-lending operation in which exorbitantly high interest is charged on the amount lent; an act or instance of criminal usury. The notorious gangster was finally brought down for running a years-long juice racket. New legislation is being introduced to clamp down on juice rackets that have been bleeding innocent people dry.
numbers racket
An illegal lottery in which one bets on certain numbers appearing in a newspaper or other publication, usually one related to racing. Primarily heard in US. Why do you think Grandpa was so poor? Because any time he had any money, he'd lose it playing the numbers racket!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.