gombeen
(historical, Ireland) A moneylender during the Great Famine.
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(historical, Ireland) A moneylender during the Great Famine.
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(archaic) Usury.
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(Ireland, slang) A mean, underhanded, corrupt person. Usually applied to politicians.
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- gombeenman91%
(Ireland, historical) A gombeen, or money-lender.
- gombeenman88%
An Irish historical term for a small-time moneylender or loan shark — typically a local shopkeeper or middleman who extended credit at exploitative interest rates, often in rural communities during times of hardship. The gombeenman was a reviled figure in 19th-century Irish society, widely seen as preying on poverty. The word persists in modern Irish English as a term of contempt for anyone seen as greedy, petty, and exploitative — a small crook playing a big man.
- gome62%
(obsolete, Scotland, Northern England) A man.