shylock

noun

1. (US, figuratively, offensive)A loan shark; a usurer.

   “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.”

2. (ethnic, offensive, slur)A person of Jewish descent.
3. (alt-of)Alternative letter-case form of shylock.

verb

1. (US, intransitive, offensive)To lend money at exorbitant rates of interest.

   “I wanted to know whether shylocking is a legal business or not, and if it is legal, under which Act does it operate?”

   “When you've accumulated a good stash of money, you may want to go into the nightclub business, or shylocking. Shylocking is free. There is no ten percent vig on loan sharking.”

   “Lori said it sounded outright felonious, but Dad said all he was doing was outsmarting the fat-cat bank owners who shylocked the common man by charging usurious interest rates.”

   “Do you recall this question having been put to you—the shylocking business you were involved in continued right up until the time that you were arrested, correct?”

name

1. A moneylender (Jewish stereotype) in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.