vigorish means A charge taken on bets, as by a bookie or gambling establishment. It carries an Arena rating of 1357, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, vigorish ranks #1,315 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words, #2,104 of 17,122 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #3,205 of 17,114 for Most Satisfying to Say, #3,337 of 17,118 for Scariest Words.
Why “vigorish” is a great word
A fee or commission, especially one charged by a bookmaker on a bet or by a moneylender as interest. From Yiddish וויגריש (vigrish), from Russian вы́игрыш (výigryš, "winnings, profit"), first attested in English circa 1910. Unlike "commission," a transparent, legal fee for service, or the slang "juice" which narrows the focus to gambling, vigorish connotes a shadow-world surcharge, the silent partner in every risky transaction. It is the unseen tax on hope, the weight of crumpled bills passed under a diner table, the ironclad logic behind a loan shark's friendly smile—the cold arithmetic ensuring profit flows not from luck, but from the machinery of the gamble itself.
Etymology
From Yiddish וויגריש (vigrish), from Russian вы́игрыш (výigryš, “winnings”).
noun
- A charge taken on bets, as by a bookie or gambling establishment.
- The interest on a loan of money, especially for loans made by a usurer or loan shark.
- An amount owed on account of or payment of a bookie's charge or of interest.
- A commission or similar extra charge.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- vig 84% match — Synonym of vigorish (“charge taken on bets”). vs vigorish →
- bookie 56% match — A bookmaker, being a person who, or business which, takes bets from the general public on sporting events and similar. vs vigorish →
- betting 52% match — Describing one who bets or gambles. vs vigorish →
- oddsman 50% match — A person who offers odds to gamblers. vs vigorish →
- sportsbook 50% match — A place where a gambler can bet on various sports competitions; the company that runs it; the website that is its online presence. (Most such companies offer online betting, subject to geofencing by state.) vs vigorish →
- russoom 50% match — A fee, commission, or perquisite. vs vigorish →
- bettor 49% match — A person who makes a bet, such as a wager on the outcome of a game of chance or a sporting event. vs vigorish →
- overgamble 49% match — To gamble excessively. vs vigorish →