English Idiom βΒ Loan shark.
Someone who lends people money and charges them an extremely high rate of interest. A loan shark is usually dishonest and sometimes they will threaten violence if the loaned money is not repaid on time. These types of loans are often illegal.
- This phrase is used when you do not approve of the person lending money.
- A loan is a sum of money. When you receive a loan you usually have to pay some percentage extra (usually by year) to the person or organisation you are borrowing money from. This is known as interest. Interest from a bank (or similar) is usually a few percent. Interest from a loan shark could be hundreds or even thousands of percent!
- Borrowing money from a loan shark to pay off other debts would be an example of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
- The idiom swimming with sharks can be used to describe a situation when you are involved with dangerous or dishonest people.
Usage:
When could you use this idiom?
- You are warning someone against borrowing money.
- A dishonest person is trying to lend you money.
- Somebody you know is being chased over the money they owe.
- You are looking to borrow money at a reasonable rate, but fear you are being charged too much interest.
Example:
- βLisa borrowed a lot of money from a loan shark last year. Now she is in even more debt and they are now threatening her!β
In the News
Spotted in the newsNo jail for Black Country loan shark who made Β£6,000-a-monthexpressandstar.comWhat is an idiom?
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Someone who lends money at extremely high interest, often illegally, and may threaten people who can’t pay.
The extra money you pay back when you borrow money, usually a percentage of the loan.
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