| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| black market | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. any system in which goods or currencies are sold and bought illegally, esp in violation of controls or rationing |
| b. (as modifier): black market lamb | |
| 2. | the place where such a system operates |
| —vb | |
| 3. | to sell (goods) on the black market |
| black marketeer | |
| —n | |
The illegal buying and selling of goods above the price fixed by a government. Black markets usually develop when, because of war, disaster, or public policy, a government tries to set prices for commodities instead of allowing the normal operations of supply and demand to set prices.