to rake off
1
9.1
- phrasal verb
- /reɪk ɔf/
- NSFW
:
desviar
Examples
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Thus, when the chain of command is required to make the decision to fight, the normal for them is to find a way to fund some locals to guard the place and rake off a kickback on the contract.
Blog text (7) -
The contractor raked off a portion of the funds, leaving less for the actual project.
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It was discovered that the manager had raked off money from the company's profits.
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During the investigation, several officials were found to have raked off large sums from the budget.
Synonyms
76
6.5
To cheat someone by charging too much money or selling fake goods
20
5.5
To cheat someone and take their money by lying
14
8.5
Charge someone too much money
5
7.9
To secretly take money from a business or charity for your own use
4
9.6
To steal something secretly or dishonestly
3
9.9
To cheat someone and take their money or things
To secretly move money or things for dishonest reasons
To get money by unfair use of rules
To get money in a dishonest way by using your job or power
How Dishonest
Surface Forms
Morphology
rake + off
Knowing 'rake' (to gather/sweep) and 'off' (indicating removal) gives a learner a general sense of 'taking away' or 'gathering off' something, so there is a partial connection to the idea of removing a portion. However, the specific sense of taking a share of money—especially with the connotation of dishonesty or siphoning profits—is metaphorical and not fully predictable from the parts, so learners will likely need prior exposure to the idiomatic sense.
Etymology
Rake off may come from the simple picture of someone using a rake to pull a small amount from a pile of coins or a money pot, as if they quietly sweep a share away. That's why it now means 'to take a share of money, often secretly or dishonestly'.