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Glite Dictionary
real Shylock

real Shylock

9.9
A person who lends money and charges very high interest
  • noun
  • /riːəl ˈʃaɪlɒk/
  • Slur
translation icon : usurero
  • Everyone warned me not to borrow from him, saying he's a real Shylock when it comes to collecting debts.

Examples

  • People avoided the bank after it hired a real Shylock to handle overdue accounts.

  • The landlord turned out to be a real Shylock, raising the rent at every opportunity.

  • The bank acted like a real Shylock by imposing high fees.

  • Many consider him a real Shylock in the business world.

  • Everyone warned me not to borrow from him, saying he's a real Shylock when it comes to collecting debts.

  • People avoided the bank after it hired a real Shylock to handle overdue accounts.

  • The landlord turned out to be a real Shylock, raising the rent at every opportunity.

Synonyms

shyster
vsreal Shylock
  • Offensive
14 9.9

A person, often a lawyer or politician, who acts dishonestly to get what they want

focuses on merciless money lending and charging very high interest
real shark
vsreal Shylock
  • Informal
1 7.8

A person who pushes hard to get the best business deals

emphasizes ruthless lending and extreme interest rather than competitive skill

Antonyms

generous
79 1.2

Willing to forgive small mistakes and not be strict

merciful
54 3.3

Kind and willing to forgive someone who is suffering or has done wrong

How Ruthless

real Shylock
  • Slur
9.9
loan shark
21 4.8
hard-ass
  • Offensive
15 9.8
lender
118 2.5

Surface Forms

real Shylock singular
real Shylocks plural

Morphology

real + Shylock

If a learner knows the proper-name sense of 'Shylock' (a ruthless moneylender), combining it with the adjective 'real' yields the straightforward meaning 'a genuine/ruthless moneylender'. The sense is compositional (adjective + noun/allusion) rather than idiomatically shifted, so it is transparent to learners who know both constituents, although the reference is culturally loaded.

Etymology

Real Shylock comes from Shakespeare's play, where the character Shylock was a moneylender who demanded a 'pound of flesh' from a borrower. That's why calling someone a real Shylock means 'a very harsh moneylender' today.