Rachmanism

"Rachmanism" means the exploitation of tenants of slum properties by unscrupulous landlords; the practice of charging extortionate rents for inferior properties, especially to poor, disadvantaged or immigrant tenants. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.

"Rachmanism" is informal English meaning the exploitation of tenants of slum properties by unscrupulous landlords; the practice of charging extortionate rents for inferior properties, especially to poor, disadvantaged or immigrant tenants. It is mainly heard in British English (and Irish English). A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "the exploitation of tenants of slum properties by unscrupulous landlords" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "Rachmanism" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing.