Definition of "gombeen" [gombeen]

• Irish Usury. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Whatever the medics and gombeen men would have you believe cannabis, whiskey and wine are psychologically and physically addictive."
• "I would really love to hear some topical radio shows about Parnell and Robert Emmet and people like that rather than the gombeen gobshites we have to hear about every day these days."
• "Kerry let me remind you is the former constituency of Dick Spring, former leader of the Labour Party and the current constituency of former IRA commander Martin Ferris TD, a man who was once caught red-handed shipping a cargo Libyan supplied arms and the home of gombeen Jackie Healey-Rae, a man who would make a St. Patrick's Day leprauchan blush with shame at his shameless stage Oirish paddywackery."