shake down
shake down {v. phr.}
1. To cause to fall by shaking.
He shook some pears down from the free.
2. {informal}
To test, practice, get running smoothly (a ship or ship's crew).
The captain shook down his new ship on a voyage to the Mediterranean Sea.
3. {slang}
To get money from by threats.
The gangsters shook the store owner down every month.
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Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms
