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Glite Dictionary
in the racket

in the racket

1 9.9
A person who is involved in a dishonest business, often illegal
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : en el negocio
  • Many people in the city have some connection to those in the racket of gambling.

Examples

  • He is definitely in the racket of illegal gambling.

  • Are you sure she is in the racket of smuggling?

  • He admitted that he used to be in the racket before starting an honest job.

  • Lisa warned me not to get in the racket or risk ruining my reputation.

  • After being released from prison, he eagerly returned to the racket he knew best: illegal gambling.

  • She was known for her shady deals; everyone knew she was deep in the racket of fraud.

  • They alleged that several politicians were involved in the racket that exploited vulnerable communities.

Antonyms

to legitimate
  • Formal
1 5.6

To make something legal or accepted by law

How Legitimate

industry
31 3.0
in business
278 2.7
in the racket
  • Informal
1 9.9
organized crime
  • NSFW
72 3.4
black market
  • NSFW
85 3.9

Surface Forms

in the racket positive

Morphology

in + the + racket

The phrase is compositionally built: 'in' marks involvement or membership and 'racket' (an illegal or dishonest scheme) names the activity, with 'the' pointing to a specific line of business. A B1 learner who knows these constituent meanings can readily infer that 'in the racket' means involved in that (usually disreputable) business, so the expression is transparently derived from its parts.

Etymology

The phrase in the racket comes from early 1900s slang where a racket was a dishonest business, like a protection or gambling scheme. Being in the racket meant you worked in that shady trade, so today it still means 'involved in a disreputable or dishonest business'.