Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to make a great deal of money.

1668		J. Wilson (trans.) Erasmus Moriae Encomium (1509) 85: Some desire to be accounted wealthy abroad, and are yet ready to starve at home: One makes what haste he can to set all going, and another rakes it together by right or wrong.
1683		W. Kennett (trans.) Erasmus Witt against Wisdom (1509) 80: [They] think themselves no way inferiour to persons of the highest quality, only because they have raked together a plentiful Estate.
1851		Oquawka (IL) Spectator 22 Oct. 1/4: Then, of course, they ‘dropped the gate’ upon them and ‘raked in the pile’ [DA].
1864		Orleans Indep. Standard (Irasburgh, VT) 16 Sept. 2/1: I notice that the union men have raked in a pile, and that copperhead purses are [...] lank and lean.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 71/2: There was an immense number of people assembled here [...] and among these we expected to ‘rake’ a good thing.
1879		N.O. Dly Democrat (LA) 27 Dec. 3/1: We used to play poker every day. I once raked in $74,000.
1882		G.W. Peck Peck’s Sunshine 271: The infidel rakes in a cool million.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 14 Feb. 6/4: Nevertheless, old Collins raked the stamps together, and prior to his happy release from the cares of this world, he could put his name to a piece of paper for nearly a million sterling, with the serene confidence that the cash would be paid on sight.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 31 Oct. 5/2: I raked a cheque together, and thought that it would do, / So I went down to Sydney just to spend a week or two; / I thought I was no ‘flat,’ so resolved to ‘cut it fat,’ / Dressed myself from top to toe, put a pugg’ry round my hat.
1892		H. Nisbet Bushranger’s Sweetheart 206: ‘He has money enough, I am sure, raking in the thousands as he does.’ ‘So he has, and so have many old “lifers”.’.
1900		Punch 14 Mar. 194/2: St. Michael admits that before financial year closes he will have raked in seventeen millions and a half from this one source of revenue.
1902		Ade Forty Modern Fables 183: My experience is that it is pretty hard to Rake Up, even when you want it and want it Bad.
1906		A.H. Lewis Confessions of a Detective 78: In those years wherein it flourished, it raked in not a shilling under fifty millions.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 80: Squareheaded chaps those must be in Rome: they work the whole show. And don’t they rake in the money too?
1937		J. Curtis You’re in the Racket, Too 92: All these books that were lying around and vases, they might rake in the shekels.
1949		R. Park Poor Man’s Orange 5: Why didn’t You pick out some rotten warmonger, or stinking politician raking in the chips, instead of an old bloke like Patrick.
1951		D. Stivens Jimmy Brockett 95: Some of ’em were raking in the sugar.
1963		C. Wood ‘Prisoner and Escort’ in Cockade (1965) I iii: Every Thursday night they ran ’em – you know pay night – you know rake it in.
1984		P. Barker Blow Your House Down 8: If you do go on, you’re raking it in. It’s the one time you really do make money.
1999		J. Ridley Everybody Smokes in Hell 3: If you consider middle class a family that rakes in two-fifty to half a mil a year.
2006		D. Mitchell Black Swan Green 313: Rakin’ it in, just by smashin’ prizefighters’ skulls to eggshells.