Definition

Noun: 1. A percentage taken by an operator: A commission, fee, or share of profits taken by the organizer or bookmaker of an illicit activity, such as illegal gambling or a racket. 2. Usurious interest: An exorbitant, excessive, or unlawfully high rate of interest charged on a loan.

Usage Examples

• As a bookmaker's commission:
  • The bookie's profit is built into the odds through the vigorish.
  • After paying the vigorish, my actual winnings were much smaller than expected.
• As usurious interest:
  • The loan shark charged a crippling vigorish on the short-term loan.
  • Laws exist to protect borrowers from predatory lenders who impose hidden vigorish.

Advanced Usage

• The term is most commonly associated with the world of gambling and organized crime. In sports betting, the vigorish (often shortened to "the vig") is the built-in commission that ensures the bookmaker profits regardless of the event's outcome.
• It can be used metaphorically to describe any unfairly large cut or fee taken by a middleman in a transaction.

Variants and Related Words

• Vig (n): A common informal shortening of "vigorish."
  • The vig on that bet was too high to make it worthwhile.
• Juice (n): Another slang term with a similar meaning, especially in North American contexts.
  • He's not just lending money; he's charging serious juice.

Synonyms

• Commission: A fee paid to an agent for services.
• Cut: A share of the profits.
• Take: The amount of money received or collected.
• Usury: The illegal action or practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "The vig is too high": A phrase used to indicate that the cost of participating (in a bet or loan) is excessive and reduces potential value.
  • I decided not to place the bet because the vig was too high.

Noun

1. a percentage (of winnings or loot or profit) taken by an operator or gangster
2. an exorbitant or unlawful rate of interest