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Showing results for sharp practice. Search instead for dari praktik.
Synonyms

sharp practice

Idioms  

  1. Crafty or deceitful dealings, especially in business. For example, That firm's known for its sharp practice, so I'd rather not deal with them. This expression, first recorded in 1836, uses sharp in the combined sense of “mentally acute” and “cutting.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s sharp practice to charge twice for the same problem.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 7, 2026

Mr Castleton wants that settlement to be set aside, alleging it was fraudulently obtained involving "sharp practice" by the Post Office.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

Crypto trading has become identified by regulators and in the public mind as a haven for scams, theft and other forms of sharp practice.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025

His ruling was unusually blunt, describing a murky network of shell companies with secret offshore accounts as a plan of “mesmeric complexity” that reeked of dishonesty and sharp practice.

From New York Times • Aug. 30, 2012

In their circle, it was held to be no disgrace to import goods illegally, but rather sharp practice was accounted a sign of canny business acumen.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.