rack rent
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The actual value or rent of a tenement, and not that modified form on which the rates and taxes are usually levied; an ex- orbitant rent, one which is "racked" or stretched.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “rack rent” mean?
The actual value or rent of a tenement, and not that modified form on which the rates and taxes are usually levied; an ex- orbitant rent, one which is "racked" or stretched.
Is “rack rent” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.