rack rent

 

noun

  • an extortionate or very high rent.

verb

(rack-rent) [with object] dated
  • exact an excessive or extortionate rent from (a tenant) or for (a property): (as noun rack-renting) hundreds of thousands of peasants who hate corruption, rack-renting, and foreign intervention (as adjective rack-renting) rack-renting landlords

Derivatives

rack-renter

noun

Origin:

late 16th century (as rack-rented): from the verb rack1 (in the sense 'cause stress') + the noun rent1