gombeen
/ɡɑmˈbin/
noun
- A person who lends money at extremely high interest rates; a loan shark.
- The novel's villain was a gombeen who controlled the local economy through usury.
- The gombeen charged such high interest that the farmer could never repay the debt.
- In the village, everyone knew old Mr. Doyle was a gombeen who preyed on desperate families.
- A corrupt or unscrupulous person, especially in business or politics.
- The mayor was accused of being a gombeen, taking bribes from developers.
- She warned her son not to trust the gombeen who ran the used car lot.
- That gombeen sold faulty equipment to the school and disappeared with the money.