noun Street Slang

shylock

SHY-lok · noun · slang

A loan shark; one who lends at extortionate interest.

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Definitions

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A shylock is a loan shark, someone who lends money at illegally high interest and uses threats to collect. To 'shylock' is to lend this way.

“When the bank said no, he went to a shylock and regretted it.”
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shylock In A Sentence

When the bank said no, he went to a shylock and regretted it.

Origin & Usage

From Shylock, the moneylender in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice.'

Variants shylocking

People Also Ask

What does 'shylock' mean?

A shylock is a loan shark, a person who lends money at illegally high interest and uses threats or violence to collect. As a verb, to shylock is to lend money that way.

Where does the word come from?

It comes from Shylock, the moneylender character in Shakespeare's play 'The Merchant of Venice.'

How is a shylock different from a bank?

A bank lends legally at regulated interest, while a shylock lends outside the law at extortionate rates and enforces payment through intimidation rather than the courts.

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