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Evil conduct; fraudulent practices; misbehavior, corruption, or extortion in office.

An extortioner. See Poller. [Obs.] Bacon.

A head or poll tax; hence, extortion. [Obs.] Foxe.

Plunder, or extortion. [Obs.] E. Hall.

To stretch or strain, in a figurative sense; hence, to harass, or oppress by extortion. The landlords there shamefully rack their tenants. Spenser. They [landlords] rack a Scripture simile beyond the true intent thereof. Fuller. Try what my credit can in Venice do; That shall be racked even to the uttermost. Shak.…

Avaricious; grasping; extortionate; also, greedy; ravenous; voracious; as, rapacious usurers; a rapacious appetite. [Thy Lord] redeem thee from Death's rapacious claim Milton .

Eagerness for plunder; rapacity; extortion. Luke xi. 39.

An extortioner; a sharp bargainer; a skinflint; a niggard. Thackeray.

emoving the beard; to cut closely; hence, to be hard and severe in a bargain; to practice extortion; to cheat.

efore being taken to jail, or until they compromise with their creditors. At these houses extortionate charges are commonly made for food, lodging, etc.

The extortion of money, or the attempt to extort money, by threat of injury; blackmailing. Strike block (Carp.), a plane shorter than a jointer, used for fitting a short joint. Moxon. -- Strike of flax, a handful that may be hackled at once. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Chaucer. -- Strike of sugar. (Sugar Making) (a) The act…

Fig.: One who lives by preying on others; an extortioner; a bloodsucker.

Fig.: The practice of extortion. Carlyle.

To subject to extortion; to afflict, or oppress, in order to enforce compliance. To wring the widow from her 'customed right. Shak. The merchant adventures have been often wronged and wringed to the quick. Hayward.

One who, or that which, wrings; hence, an extortioner.