Revised as of
28 June 2023
This is a word confusion that’s always confused me, and I decided to delve into it after Kristian Knutsen‘s story at The Daily Page about an attorney/journalist, Ann E. Fleischli, extorting a bookstore owner.
The original, or base difference, is the average joe blackmails while a politician does extortion. Today, the difference is one of revealing something the victim doesn’t want known (blackmail) versus doing harm to someone (extortion).
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Blackmail | Extortion |
|---|---|
DeAr mr. WaLT We HⒶVE yOUR mOUSE by Paul Keller is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr. — Hmmm, the lettering, the messy format, the “message(!)”… Yep, looks like blackmail to me. |
Handshaking with Euro Bank Notes is Kiwiev‘s own work is under the CC0 1.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Just a little extortion between “friends”. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun; Verb, transitive
Plural for noun: blackmail Third person present verb: blackmails |
Noun
Plural for noun: extortion |
| Revealing secrets
Noun: Encompasses threats made by private persons to gain anything of value. And generally, a thing of value is broadly defined, including not only money and property, but also sexual favors. The action, treated as a criminal offense, of demanding money from a person in return for not revealing compromising or injurious information about that person
A tribute formerly exacted in the north of England and in Scotland by freebooting chiefs for protection from pillage Verb, transitive:
Blackmail is considered a form of extortion in some states and by the feds if it crosses state lines. |
Doing harm
The narrow definition refers to the unlawful taking by a government official of money or property — either by threats or simply in return for performing some official act (this has been expanded recently to include private individuals) Unlawful exaction of money, property, or services through intimidation, coercion, or undue exercise of authority, which may include threats of physical harm, criminal prosecution, destruction of property, improper government action, inaction of the testimony, the withholding of testimony in a legal action, or public exposure The crime of getting money from someone by the use of force or threats The act or practice of extorting, especially money or other property [Slang] A gross overcharge |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: They were acquitted of charges of blackmail. We do not pay blackmail. It was extortional blackmail! Out of fear, she submitted to Jim’s emotional blackmail. They are trying to blackmail us with hunger. Verb, transitive: The membership felt that they were blackmailed into accepting the changes. He had blackmailed her into sailing with him. |
He was convicted of trying to extort $1 million from a developer.
He was arrested and charged with extortion. Six dollars for a cup of coffee is just plain extortion. The spy had set up a drop for the extortion money. It was flat out extortion when Fleischli put the bookstore owner down. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Noun: blackmailer, blackmailers | Adjective: extortionate Adverb: extortionately Noun: extortioner, extortionist, nonextortion Verb: extort, extorts, extorted, extorting |
| History of the Word: | |
| The first known use was in 1552.
I like Maeve Maddox‘s explanation better than Apple Dictionary’s, and I’ve blended the two: Mid-16th century denoting protection money demanded by clan chieftains from Scottish farmers in exchange for leaving them alone. From black (and its association of the color black with evil) + obsolete mail from the Middle English male from the Old English mal meaning lawsuit, terms, bargaining, agreement meaning tribute, rent, from the Old Norse mál meaning speech, agreement. |
The first known use was in the 14th century.
Middle English from the late Latin extortio(n-), which is from the Latin extorquere meaning wrest. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Blackmail versus Extortion
Apple Dictionary.com
Fogarty, Mignon. “What is the Difference Between Extortion and Blackmail?” Quick & Dirty Tips. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/business-career/legal/what-difference-between-extortion-and-blackmail>.
Johnson, Jeffrey. “What is the Difference Between Extortion and Blackmail?” Free Advice: Criminal Law. Updated 29 June 2022. Web. n.d. <http://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/criminal-law/white_collar_crimes/extortion_blackmail.htm>.
Knutsen, Kristian. Daily Page. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=41634>
Maddox, Maeve. “The Difference Between Extortion and Blackmail.” Daily Writing Tips. 2011. Web. n.d. <https://www.dailywritingtips.com/extortion-and-blackmail/>.
Merriam-Webster: blackmail
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Roman Zacharij has released his artwork,Oppression and Extortion, 2008, into the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. It depicts the “oppression and extortion of Polish state bureaucrats in the western Ukrainian countryside of the Berezhany district during Polish rule in Berezhany lands (1919-1939). The work is located in the Berezhany City Museum in Berezhany, Ternopil oblast in the western Ukraine.”
