Rackets

[rak-it] /ˈræk ɪt/

noun
1.
a loud noise or clamor, especially of a disturbing or confusing kind; din; uproar:
The traffic made a terrible racket in the street below.
2.
social excitement, gaiety, or dissipation.
3.
an organized illegal activity, such as bootlegging or the extortion of money from legitimate business people by threat or violence.
4.
a dishonest scheme, trick, business, activity, etc.:
the latest weight-reducing racket.
5.
Usually, the rackets. organized illegal activities:
Some say that the revenue from legalized gambling supports the rackets.
6.
Slang.

verb (used without object)
7.
to make a racket or noise.
8.
to take part in social gaiety or dissipation.
[rak-it] /ˈræk ɪt/
noun
1.
a light bat having a netting of catgut or nylon stretched in a more or less oval frame and used for striking the ball in tennis, the shuttlecock in badminton, etc.
2.
the short-handled paddle used to strike the ball in table tennis.
3.
rackets, (used with a singular verb) (def 1).
4.
a snowshoe made in the form of a tennis racket.
/ˈrækɪts/
noun
1.
(functioning as sing)

/ˈrækɪt/
noun
1.
a noisy disturbance or loud commotion; clamour; din
2.
gay or excited revelry, dissipation, etc
3.
an illegal enterprise carried on for profit, such as extortion, fraud, prostitution, drug peddling, etc
4.
(slang) a business or occupation: what’s your racket?
5.
(music)

verb
6.
(rare) (intransitive) often foll by about. to go about gaily or noisily, in search of pleasure, excitement, etc
/ˈrækɪt/
noun
1.
a bat consisting of an open network of nylon or other strings stretched in an oval frame with a handle, used to strike the ball in tennis, badminton, etc
2.
a snowshoe shaped like a tennis racket
verb
3.
(transitive) to strike (a ball, shuttlecock, etc) with a racket
n.

“loud noise,” 1560s, perhaps imitative. Klein compares Gaelic racaid “noise.” Meaning “dishonest activity” (1785) is perhaps from racquet, via notion of “game,” reinforced by rack-rent “extortionate rent” (1590s), from rack (n.1).

“handled paddle or netted bat used in tennis, etc.;” see racquet.

verb

[1970s+ College students; fr the kick out of danger in football, fr mid1800s Rugby football, ”kick the ball before it hits the ground,” of unknown origin; perhaps echoic]