blackball

[blak-bawl] Origin

black·ball

[blak-bawl]
verb (used with object)
1.
to vote against (a candidate, applicant, etc.).
2.
to exclude socially; ostracize: The whole town blackballed them.
3.
to reject (a candidate) by placing a blackball in the ballot box.
noun
4.
a negative vote, especially in deciding on an applicant or candidate.
5.
a black ball placed in a ballot box signifying a negative vote.

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Blackball is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.

Origin:
1760–70; black + ball1

black·ball·er, noun


2. boycott, ban, debar, snub, cut.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
blackball (ˈblækˌbɔːl)
 
n
1.  a negative vote or veto
2.  a black wooden ball used to indicate disapproval or to veto in a vote
3.  (NZ) a hard boiled sweet with black-and-white stripes
 
vb
4.  to vote against in a ballot
5.  to exclude (someone) from a group, profession, etc; ostracize
 
[C18: see sense 2]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

blackball
"to exclude from a club by adverse votes," 1770, from black + ball (1). Black balls of wood or ivory dropped into an urn during secret ballots.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

blackball definition


A rejection of an applicant's membership in a private organization, such as a club or fraternity. The term is derived from the traditional practice of members voting anonymously on admitting new members, using either a white marble (acceptance) or a black marble (denial). Acceptance must be unanimous; therefore, one black marble in the ballot box is enough to keep the applicant out of the organization.

Note: The term is now applied generally to efforts — especially unreasonable or vengeful actions — to keep a people or groups out of organizations they wish to join.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

blackball definition


  1. tv.
    to vote against someone in a secret ballot. : Someone blackballed the prospective member.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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