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It's a colorful world - greenmail!

Colorful idioms used in English
This page ©2000 by Nicholas E. Miller



Colorful English!
Word or Phrase: Part of Speech: Idiom or General?: Usage? Restricted?
greenmail noun general rare, except in business No
Meaning:
the act of buying sufficient company stock to threaten a hostile takeover and then reselling it to the company at a price above market value
Example(s):
Greenmail is a trick used by greedy, evil people to immorally steal money from a decent company.

Note: Greenmail can also be used as a verb, and greenmailer is the noun for such an immoral person.