shylock

Definition

A loan shark; a usurer.

Etymology

From the character Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (1600).

Example Sentences

• "Eventually, their gambling debts grow so big that they are cut off from making any more bets, eliminating the chance that they can make enough money to satisfy their shylocks."
• "If a guy got into hock with several shylocks from different crews and was unable to keep up with his weekly payments, a sit-down would have to be called with all of the shylocks involved and their respective capos."
• "After Caspian's father killed his credit lines at all the big casinos, he ran up a six-figure tab with a couple of shylocks in Miami, then couldn't make the vig."