standover merchant
/ˈstandəʊvə ˌməːtʃ(ə)nt
/(also standover man)
noun Australian informal
A person who uses intimidation to impose their will: a rather unpleasant example of a political standover merchant...
- All I can say is, pity help the would-be standover merchant who tries to lean on, or recruit, those siblings.
- He drifted into crime, beginning his long career as a standover man.
- He claimed he was being made a scapegoat by the inquiry and strenuously denied he was a standover man.
Origin
1930s: from the Australian sense of stand over 'threaten, extort money from' + merchant.