rake-off

[ reyk-awf, -of ]

noun

1. a share or amount taken or received illicitly, as in connection with a public enterprise.
2. a share, as of profits.
3. a discount in the price of a commodity:

   We got a 20 percent rake-off on the dishwasher.

rake-off

noun

1. a share of profits, esp one that is illegal or given as a bribe

verb

1. tr, adverb to take or receive (such a share of profits)

Word History and Origins

Origin of rake-off¹

1885–90, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase rake off

Idioms and Phrases

Make an unlawful profit, as in They suspected her of raking off some of the campaign contributions for her personal use . This expression alludes to the raking of chips by an attendant at a gambling table. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

And the double taxation — by the lottery itself and by the taxes on any winnings — means that the “benefit” even for the occasional winner further obscures the amount of the rake-off.

From Washington Post

But the men with no fingerprints won’t permit it, those athletic directors and presidents who have subverted college athletics into a rake-off while pretending to govern them.

From Washington Post

The Russian ministry already got what it wanted from its willing partner the IOC, which was the oligarchical rake-off from Sochi’s immense buildup.

From Washington Post

Up to that time the two men had made a substantial rake-off six days in every week.

From Project Gutenberg

As it advanced there was a tightening of the tension and at the welcome “amen” there was a grand rake-off.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• account
• bill
• commission
• compensation
• cost
• cut
• expense
• pay
• payment
• price
• reward
• salary
• share
• stipend
• wage