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wildcatting

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wild⋅cat

  [wahyld-kat] noun, plural -cats, (especially collectively) -cat for 1–4, adjective, verb, -cat⋅ted, -cat⋅ting.
Use wildcatting in a Sentence
–noun
1. any of several North American felines of the genus Lynx. Compare lynx.
2. a yellowish-gray, black-striped feline, Felis sylvestris, of Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, resembling and closely related to the domestic cat, with which it interbreeds freely.
3. a closely related feline, Felis sylvestris libyca, of northern Africa, believed to be the ancestor of the domestic cat.
4. any of several other of the smaller felines, as the serval or ocelot.
5. a domestic cat that has become feral.
6. a quick-tempered or savage person.
7. Railroads. a single locomotive operating without a train, as one switching cars.
8. an exploratory well drilled in an effort to discover deposits of oil or gas; a prospect well.
9. a reckless or unsound enterprise, business, etc.
10. Informal. wildcatter (def. 2).
11. Nautical. a shaped drum on a windlass, engaging with the links of an anchor chain.
12. Informal. wildcat strike.
–adjective
13. characterized by or proceeding from reckless or unsafe business methods: wildcat companies; wildcat stocks.
14. of or pertaining to an illicit enterprise or product.
15. running without control or regulation, as a locomotive, or apart from the regular schedule, as a train.
–verb (used without object)
16. to search an area of unknown or doubtful productivity for oil, ore, or the like, esp. as an independent prospector.
17. Slang. to engage in a wildcat strike.
–verb (used with object)
18. to search (an area of unknown or doubtful productivity) for oil, ore, or the like.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME wilde cat; cf. MLG wildkatte
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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wild·cat   (wīld'kāt')   
n.  

  1. Any of various wild felines of small to medium size, especially of the genus Lynx, including the bobcat and the caracal.

  2. Either of two small felines (Felis silvestris subsp. silvestris or subsp. lybica) of Europe, Asia, and Africa, often regarded as being the ancestor of the domestic cat.

    1. A quick-tempered person.

    2. A person regarded as fierce.

  4. An oil or natural-gas well drilled in an area not known to be productive.

  5. A workers' strike unauthorized by their union.

adj.  

    1. Risky or unsound, especially financially.

    2. Issued by a financially irresponsible bank: wildcat currency.

    3. Operating or accomplished outside the norms of standard, ethical business procedures: wildcat life insurance schemes.

  2. Of, relating to, or being an oil or natural-gas well drilled speculatively in an area not known to be productive.

  3. Undertaken by workers without approval of the officials of their union: a wildcat strike.

v.   wild·cat·ted, wild·cat·ting, wild·cats

v.   tr.
To prospect for (oil, for example) in an area supposed to be unproductive.
v.   intr.

  1. To prospect for oil or other minerals in an area not known to be productive.

  2. To go out on an unauthorized labor strike.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

wildcat  (n.)
1418, from wild (adj.) + cat. Meaning "savage woman" is recorded from 1573; sense of "one who forms rash projects" is attested from 1812. The adj. in the financial speculative sense is first recorded 1838, Amer.Eng.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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