Rackets Aren't Just For Tennis

So I learned today that rackets are NOT just for tennis.. (see below convo I had with my mom Saturday and learn something too)

Her: You know that I went to pay my insurance yesterday and they were closed early?! *infuriated* I hope they don't have any rackets going on over there..

Me: Any what? 

Her: Any rackets.. 

Me: ...

Her: You know rackets! *she is now yelling it at me, as if the pitch of her voice and her repeating the word will unlock the definition database in my brain* 

Me: Are you sure you're using the right word mom? *also meaning I think you're crazy and you don't know what you're talking about* 

Her: Yes it's when businesses do illegal scams. It's on the news all the time you can ask your grandmother! *because apparently she's the rackets aficionado* 

Me: umm all I know about about rackets is that people use them to play tennis..

Her: Yes I know that-  Oh my god what if they've run off with all the money I've paid them and I really don't have insurance! *panic sets in*

Me: Mom they probably just closed early for the LSU game or something please calm down. 

Her: Oh yeah you're probably right. *panic subsided*

From this point on I continued to tease her with various jokes using the word racket in them... I won't bore you with the details. 

However, the joke was on me. I decided to do my racket research and googled the definition, and this is what I found courtesy of Dictionary.com: 

racket¹

— noun

1. a loud noise or clamor, especially of adisturbing or confusing kind; din;uproar: The traffic made a terribleracket in the street below.
2. social excitement, gaiety, ordissipation.
3. an organized illegal activity, such as bootlegging or the extortion of money from legitimate businesspeople by threat or violence.
4. a dishonest scheme, trick, business,activity, etc.: the latest weight-reducing racket.
5. Usually, the rackets. organized illegalactivities: Some say that the revenuefrom legalized gambling supports therackets.

Who knew?! Well my mom did obviously.. I had to call her and apologize to her for being such a pretentious know-it-all and teasing her in the car.. Of course she had already forgotten about it and had to try and remember what I was talking about. Which made the whole thing seem anti-climactic and made me feel like I wasted my time even looking it up. *sigh* 

So to everyone reading that didn't know that an organized illegal activity was also called racket, you're welcome. To those of you that knew that, well congrats on being the smartest freaking person in the world.  

Until Next time!