racket
American Heritage Dictionary:
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rack·et1
also rac·quet (răk'ĭt) 
n.
rack·et2 (răk'ĭt)
n.
n.
- A device consisting of an oval frame with a tight interlaced network of strings and a handle, used to strike a ball or shuttlecock in various games.
- A wooden paddle, as one used in table tennis.
[Middle English raket, a kind of handball, from Old French rachette, palm of the hand, racket, from Medieval Latin rascheta, palm, from Arabic rāḥat (al-yad), palm (of the hand), bound form of rāḥa.]
rack·et2 (răk'ĭt)
n.
- A loud distressing noise. See synonyms at noise.
- A dishonest business or practice, especially one that obtains money through fraud or extortion.
- An easy, profitable means of livelihood.
- Slang. A business or occupation.
- To make or move with a loud distressing noise.
- To lead an active social life.
[Origin unknown.]
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Activity designed for the purpose of achieving gains, often involving extortion or the sale of illegal substances or services.
Racketeering is an organized conspiracy to accomplish such activities.
Racketeering is an organized conspiracy to accomplish such activities.
| Rack Jobbers, Rabbi Trust, RUN | |
| Racketeering, Radio Button, Radiogram |
Roget's Thesaurus:
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racket
noun
- Sounds or a sound, especially when loud, confused, or disagreeable: babel, clamor, din, hubbub, hullabaloo, noise, pandemonium, rumpus, tumult, uproar. See sounds/pleasant sounds/unpleasant sounds/neutral sounds or silence.
- Activity pursued as a livelihood: art, business, calling, career, craft, employment, job, line, métier, occupation, profession, pursuit, trade, vocation, work. Archaic employ. See action/inaction.
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A double-reed Renaissance woodwind instrument. It was squat and cylindrical, had a bassoon-type reed and was characterized by a throaty tone and deep compass. It was made in four sizes, of ranges from C′-G to G-d′;. But it lacked the strength and expression of the contemporary shawm and dulcian and was obsolete by the mid-17th century. The Baroque racket or racket-bassoon, a modified version with an increased range, appeared later, but died out in the 18th century.
Word Tutor:
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racket
IN BRIEF: A light bat with a rounded head for such games as tennis or badminton. Also: A loud noise.
I bought a new racket before I took the tennis class.
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
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noun
noun
A dodge or scheme, a line of business; a criminal scheme for extorting money, etc. (esp. in organized crime). (1812 —) .
Times Ulster by the middle of 1974 was suffering from rackets and violent crime on a scale equal to some of Europe's most notorious cities (1977).
noun
A dodge or scheme, a line of business; a criminal scheme for extorting money, etc. (esp. in organized crime). (1812 —) .
Times Ulster by the middle of 1974 was suffering from rackets and violent crime on a scale equal to some of Europe's most notorious cities (1977).
| race, rabbit-o, rabbit-and-pork | |
| rad, radge, radgie |
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'racquet'
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Racket (crime)
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The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (December 2010) |
A racket is an illegal business, usually run as part of organized crime. Engaging in a racket is called racketeering.
Several forms of racket exist. The best-known is the protection racket, in which criminals demand money from businesses in exchange for the service of "protection" against crimes that the racketeers themselves instigate if unpaid (see extortion). A second example is the numbers racket, a form of illegal lottery.
Traditionally, the word racket is used to describe a business (or syndicate) that is based on the example of the protection racket and indicates a belief that it is engaged in the sale of a solution to a problem that the institution itself creates or perpetuates, with the specific intent to engender continual patronage. One example is computer spyware that pretends to be detecting infections and offers to download a cleaning utility for a fee, being itself distributed by the maker of the cleaning utility.
In the example of a protection racket, the racketeer informs a store-owner that a substantial monthly fee will be required in exchange for protection. The concurrent "protection" provided takes the form of the absence of damage inflicted upon the store or its employees by the racket itself.
The term "racketeering" was coined by the Employers' Association of Chicago in June 1927 in a statement about the influence of organized crime in the Teamsters union.[1]
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Contents
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The RICO Act
Main article: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
On October 15, 1970, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (18 U.S.C. §§ 1961–1968), commonly referred to as the "RICO Act", became United States law. The RICO Act allowed law enforcement to charge a person or group of people with racketeering, defined as committing multiple violations of certain varieties within a ten-year period. The purpose of the RICO Act was stated as "the elimination of the infiltration of organized crime and racketeering into legitimate organizations operating in interstate commerce". S.Rep. No. 617, 91st Cong., 1st Sess. 76 (1968). However, the statute is sufficiently broad to encompass illegal activities relating to any enterprise affecting interstate or foreign commerce.
Section 1961(10) of Title 18 provides that the Attorney General of the United States may designate any department or agency to conduct investigations authorized by the RICO statute and such department or agency may use the investigative provisions of the statute or the investigative power of such department or agency otherwise conferred by law. Absent a specific designation by the Attorney General, jurisdiction to conduct investigations for violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1962 lies with the agency having jurisdiction over the violations constituting the pattern of racketeering activity listed in 18 U.S.C. § 1961.[2]
In the U.S., civil racketeering laws are also used in federal and state courts. The National Federation of Independent Business challenged these civil laws in 2006 for being excessively abusive.[3]
See also
- Alleged criminal organizations
- American Mafia
- Camorra
- Chechen mafia
- Dixie Mafia
- Irish mob
- Mafia
- 'Ndrangheta
- Russian mafia
- Sacra Corona Unita
- Triad (underground societies)
- Yakuza
- Law enforcement and other administrative organizations in the United States
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- Federal Air Marshal Service
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Internal Revenue Service
- United States Border Patrol
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
- United States Marshals Service
- United States Postal Inspection Service
- United States Secret Service
- Other
- Arms trafficking
- Drug cartel
- Organized crime
- Organized retail crime
- Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
- Rum-running
- Terrorism
- Underground economy
- Scam, con artist
References
- ^ David Witwer, "'The Most Racketeer-Ridden Union in America': The Problem of Corruption in the Teamsters Union During the 1930s", in Corrupt Histories, Emmanuel Kreike and William Chester Jordan, eds., University of Rochester Press, 2004. ISBN 1-58046-173-5
- ^ "Organized Crime and Racketeering". Usdoj.gov. http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/110mcrm.htm#9-110.010. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
- ^ "NFIB Fights Abuse of Civil RICO Laws against Small Business" at NFIB.com
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Racket
Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - ketsjer
2.
n. - larm, spektakel, postyr, ståhej, liv og glade dage, fidus, job
v. intr. - larme
idioms:
- stand the racket holde stand, klare sig, betale gildet, tage konsekvensen
Nederlands (Dutch)
kabaal, spektakel, bedriegerij, racket, sneeuweschoen, georganiseerde criminele bezigheid, manier van leven, zaakje
Français (French)
1.
n. - (Sport) raquette
2.
n. - vacarme, raffut, escroquerie, trafic, métier, boulot (fam)
v. intr. - faire du vacarme, faire la fête (fam)
idioms:
- stand the racket payer les pots cassés, payer, casquer (fam)
Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Lärm, Krach, (Slang) Job, Racket, Schläger, Schneeschuh
2.
n. - Lärm, Krach, (Slang) Job, Racket, Schläger, Schneeschuh
v. - Lärm machen
idioms:
- stand the racket die Prüfung bestehen
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ρακέτα, θόρυβος, σαματάς, κομπίνα, απάτη, οργανωμένη αισχροκέρδεια
v. - ζω έκλυτα, το ρίχνω έξω, κάνω σαματά, χαλώ τον κόσμο, γλεντώ, διασκεδάζω
idioms:
- stand the racket πληρώνω τη νύφη
Italiano (Italian)
strepito, truffa, racchetta, strepitare
idioms:
- stand the racket affrontare la prova
Português (Portuguese)
n. - raquete (f), algazarra (f), atividade desonesta
v. - fazer barulho
idioms:
- stand the racket pagar as contas, agüentar as conseqüências
Русский (Russian)
грохот, рэкет, ракетка, буянить
idioms:
- stand the racket выдерживать шум и гам
Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - raqueta
2.
n. - jaleo, barullo, alboroto
v. intr. - hacer jaleo, alborotar, hacer barullo
idioms:
- stand the racket pagar los vidrios rotos
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - oväsen, sus och dus, bedrägeri, utpressning, eldprov, tennisracket
v. - föra oväsen, leva i sus och dus
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 球拍
idioms:
- stand the racket 经受住考验, 承担后果
2. 喧嚷, 吵闹声, 欢宴, 繁忙的社交, 花天酒地, 大声吵闹, 忙于社交应酬
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 球拍
idioms:
- stand the racket 經受住考驗, 承擔後果
2.
n. - 喧嚷, 吵鬧聲, 歡宴, 繁忙的社交, 花天酒地
v. intr. - 喧嚷, 大聲吵鬧, 花天酒地, 忙於社交應酬
2.
n. - 떠드는 소리, 법석
v. intr. - 라켓으로 치다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ラケット, ラケットボール, 騒音, 大騒動, ゆすり, 大騒ぎ
v. - 遊び回る
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) مضرب (فعل) ينغمس باللهو, يحدث جلبه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - מחבט, רחת, נעל שלג דמוית מחבט, פעילות, משחק מחבטים, מהומה, עסק, מקצוע, התרוצצות
n. - רעש, סחיטה, רמאות, דרך חיים, התחמקות
v. intr. - בילה יפה, התהולל
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