blackleg
Also called black quarter, symp·to·mat·ic an·thrax [simp-tuh-mat-ik an-thraks] /ˈsɪmp təˌmæt ɪk ˈæn θræks/ .Veterinary Pathology. an infectious, often fatal disease of cattle and sheep, caused by the soil bacterium Clostridium chauvoei and characterized by painful, gaseous swellings in the muscles, usually of the upper parts of the legs.
Plant Pathology.
a disease of cabbage and other cruciferous plants, characterized by dry, black lesions on the base of the stem, caused by a fungus, Phoma lingam.
a disease of potatoes, characterized by wet, black lesions on the base of the stem, caused by a bacterium, Erwinia atroseptica.
a swindler, especially in racing or gambling.
British Informal. a strikebreaker; scab.
to replace (a worker) who is on strike.
to refuse to support (a union, union workers, or a strike).
to betray or deceive (a person or cause).
British Informal. to return to work before a strike is settled.
Origin of blackleg
1Words Nearby blackleg
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use blackleg in a sentence
It wad be awfu' to hear folk cryin' 'blackleg' after yir faither, wadna' it, Mysie?
The Underworld | James C. WelshIs it to a house which displays the royal arms over the entrance-door men come to play blackleg or clown?
Paul Gosslett's Confessions in Love, Law, and The Civil Service | Charles James LeverCards are also going all day long, and there is generally a Fancy-man—or blackleg—ready to oblige a friend.
Lands of the Slave and the Free | Henry A. MurrayYou and your master are cheats, he says, and your master is a blackleg besides, he says.
The Inspector-General | Nicolay GogolI told my son to discharge that knave; a scoundrel, a blackleg, a gambler, who ought to be hanged.
The Bath Keepers, v.1 (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume VII) | Charles Paul de Kock
British Dictionary definitions for blackleg
/ (ˈblæklɛɡ) /
Also called: scab British
a person who acts against the interests of a trade union, as by continuing to work during a strike or taking over a striker's job
(as modifier): blackleg labour
Also called: black quarter an acute infectious disease of cattle, sheep, and pigs, characterized by gas-filled swellings, esp on the legs, caused by Clostridium bacteria
plant pathol
a fungal disease of cabbages and related plants caused by Phoma lingam, characterized by blackening and decay of the lower stems
a similar disease of potatoes, caused by bacteria
a person who cheats in gambling, esp at cards or in racing
British to act against the interests of a trade union, esp by refusing to join a strike
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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