highway robbery

noun

1. robbery committed on a highway against travelers, as by a highwayman.
2. Informal. a price or fee that is unreasonably high; exorbitant charge.

highway robbery

noun

1. informal.
   blatant overcharging

Other Words From

• highway robber noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of highway robbery¹

First recorded in 1770–80

Idioms and Phrases

The exaction of an exorbitantly high price or fee. For example, You paid ten dollars for that meat? That's highway robbery . This term, used figuratively since the late 1800s, alludes to literal robbery of travelers on or near a public road.

Example Sentences

Molly got five bucks, and Fred let her know it was frickin’ highway robbery.

From Washington Post

Footnote 1: "Sticking-up" is an Australian term for burglary and highway Robbery.

From Project Gutenberg