landshark

See also: land shark and land-shark

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

land +‎ shark

Noun

landshark (plural landsharks)

  1. (obsolete, slang, derogatory, among smugglers) A customs officer.
  2. (obsolete, slang, derogatory) A swindler or fraudster.
  3. (derogatory) A landgrabber.
    • 1880, Parliamentary Debates, New Zealand. Parliament. House of Representatives, page 332:
      By the Europeans, Sir, to gratify the lust of the landsharks and land-jobbers who hungered after the lands of the Natives: it was to satisfy their greed, and not for the benefit of the Natives in any way.

See also
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