rip-off

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(rĭp'ôf', -ŏf')
n. Slang
  1. A product or service that is overpriced or of poor quality.
  2. Something, such as a film or story, that is clearly imitative of or based on something else.
  3. A theft.
  4. An act of exploitation.

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noun

    The crime of taking someone else's property without consent: larceny, pilferage, steal, theft, thievery. See crimes.


n

Definition: trick; robbery
Antonyms: gift, giving, offering

noun
noun

1:
A thief. (1970 —) .

2:
A fraud or swindle; an instance of exploitation. (1970 —) .

3:
An imitation or plagiarism. (1971 —) .

4:
rip-off artist or merchant someone who perpetrates a 'rip-off'. (1971 —) .



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A ripoff (or rip-off) is a bad financial transaction. Usually it refers to an incident in which a person overpays for something. A ripoff is distinguished from a scam in that a scam involves wrongdoing such as fraud; whether or not something is a ripoff, on the other hand, is a matter of opinion.

Overview

In a related meaning, a ripoff is a blatant or unscrupulous copy or imitation. This is also known as a knockoff. In both senses there is an associated verb "to rip off", but the location of the preposition differs between the two meanings:

In one of his stand up comedy routines, Dennis Miller jokes about seeing an ad in the National Inquirer: "Learn how to avoid ripoffs - send $5."

In South Africa 'ripping off' can be making a joke of something that a person does on a regular basis; see running gag. Another related term is "ripping on" or to "rip on" something; used to describe humorous verbal abuse directed towards a person, thing or concept. Ripping on something is typically light-hearted, but can also be cruel in nature just like any type of putdown.

In musical terminology Ripping Off is a light form of plagiarism, as in 'borrowing' an established riff, phrase or idea from a musician or song. When musicians use the term among themselves they are referring to the context of 'quoting' their influences and incorporating the licks into their personal style

See also


Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - tyveri, svindel, udnyttelse

Nederlands (Dutch)
afzetten, afscheuren, afzetterij

Français (French)
n. - arnaque

Deutsch (German)
n. - Nepp

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ληστεία, μάδημα, ξεδιάντροπη αντιγραφή

Italiano (Italian)
fregatura, furto

Português (Portuguese)
n. - roubo (m), fraude (f)

Русский (Russian)
обдираловка

Español (Spanish)
n. - timo, robo, estafa

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - uppskörtning, (am) stöt

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
偷窃

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 偷竊

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 도둑질, 돈을 사취하기

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 窃盗, 盗んだ物, 不当な搾取

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) غش عن طريق مقاضاة سعر اعلى‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮הונאה, שוד, גניבה, ניצול, רמאות‬


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Mentioned in

Soft Sound of Chad & Jeremy (1990 Album by Chad & Jeremy)
The Best of Chad & Jeremy [K-Tel] (1985 Album by Chad & Jeremy)