From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsharp practicesharp practiceBritish EnglishDISHONEST behaviour, especially in business, that is dishonest but not illegal He’s been guilty of sharp practice in the past. → sharp
Examples from the Corpus
sharp practice• At times these adjustments verge on sharp practice enabled by the fact that ingredients do not have to be revealed.• But trams also had to face some sharp practice from competing bus companies.• We couldn't discover anything specific, but there was definitely some sharp practice going on.• His grandfather had made a fortune out of a piece of commercial sharp practice in the 19th century.• In it he mentions several examples of sharp practice in the laboratory, one or two of which are new to me.• Recognising sharp practice in their dealers from the outset, they would be less likely to blame them for huge losses.• Any kind of sharp practice or dishonest dealing will infallibly ruin his career.From Longman Business Dictionarysharp practiceˌsharp ˈpractice [uncountable] behaviour that is dishonest but not illegalSome of the rival bus companies have been accused of sharp practice. → practice 