goonda tax
n.— «The main accused in the Magarasa massacre was arrested by the police on Wednesday morning from the same locality while he was engaged in extorting goonda tax from shopkeepers.» —“Main accused in Magarasa homicide arrested” in Kanpur Times of India Mar. 19, 1999. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...