repo man

[ ree-poh man ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a person employed to repossess or take back high-priced merchandise, such as motor vehicles or machinery, from buyers who have failed to pay:

   The specter of the repo man haunts many Americans who have fallen behind in their car payments.

   I haven't paid my bills in months, my credit cards are maxed out, and the repo man is threatening to come around.

Word History and Origins

Origin of repo man¹

First recorded in 1960–65; repo ²( def )

Example Sentences

He came up with this idea that Hurley was a repo man who was just so charming and good at his job that people would just end up giving their stuff back.

From Los Angeles Times

“Don Hankey, he sells loans to people with less than exceptional credit. Forbes said his company repossesses about 250 cars a day. Our former president got a loan from a repo man.”

From New York Times

Lorraine wants to expand her Redemption Services from the debt business to the credit business, because “everyone loves a lender, not so much the repo man.”

From New York Times

The Daniels have hinted that there are even more hat-tips to their favourite movies, from Todd Haynes' Carol and Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia to the sci-fi classic The Repo Man.

From BBC

To some, it were as though the government had threatened to have the repo man come in the night to cart away their ranges.

From Washington Post