racket1

[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.
  1. an occupation, livelihood, or business.
  2. an easy or profitable source of livelihood.
verb (used without object)
7.
to make a racket or noise.
8.
to take part in social gaiety or dissipation.
Origin
1555-65; 1890-95 for def 6; metathetic variant of dial. rattick; see rattle1
Synonyms
1. tumult, disturbance, outcry. See noise.
Antonyms
1, 2. tranquillity.

racket2

[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) racquet (def 1).
4.
a snowshoe made in the form of a tennis racket.
Also, racquet (for defs 1, 2, 4).
Origin
1490-1500; < Middle French raquette, rachette, perhaps < Arabic rāḥet, variant of rāḥah palm of the hand
Related forms
racketlike, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for rackets

rackets

/ˈrækɪts/
noun
1.
(functioning as sing)
  1. a game similar to squash played in a large four-walled court by two or four players using rackets and a small hard ball
  2. (as modifier): a rackets court, a rackets championship

racket1

/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)
  1. a medieval woodwind instrument of deep bass pitch
  2. a reed stop on an organ of deep bass pitch
verb
6.
(rare) (intransitive) often foll by about. to go about gaily or noisily, in search of pleasure, excitement, etc
Word Origin
C16: probably of imitative origin; compare rattle1

racket2

/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
See also rackets
Word Origin
C16: from French raquette, from Arabic rāhat palm of the hand
Word Origin and History for rackets

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.

Slang definitions & phrases for rackets

racket

noun
  1. Any illegal concern or enterprise; a criminal business; dodge, grift: G Marks and Abe Cohn have a new racket now of promenading Clinton Street dock (1785+)
  2. A party or dance, esp a noisy one In recent usage this is most common among the police: passing evidence around like a pretzel tray at a retirement racket (1745+)
  3. Any concession, stand, etc (1940s+ Circus & carnival)
verb

To lead a busy life professionally and socially: Monk's seesawing years, from 1935 to 1940, were spent racketing endlessly back and forth between Europe and New York, an itinerant pianist and boulevardier (1760+)

[fr early 1800s British underworld fr racket, ''noise, confusion,'' etc]