blackleg

blackleg
/blak"leg'/, n., v., blacklegged, blacklegging.
n.
1. Also called black quarter, symptomatic anthrax. Vet. Pathol. 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.
2. Plant Pathol.
a. 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.
b. a disease of potatoes, characterized by wet, black lesions on the base of the stem, caused by a bacterium, Erwinia atroseptica.
3. a swindler, esp. in racing or gambling.
4. Brit. Informal. a strikebreaker; scab.
v.t. Brit. Informal.
5. to replace (a worker) who is on strike.
6. to refuse to support (a union, union workers, or a strike).
7. to betray or deceive (a person or cause).
v.i.
8. Brit. Informal. to return to work before a strike is settled.
[1715-25; BLACK + LEG; orig. of nonliteral senses unclear; cf. JACKLEG]

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • blackleg — black‧leg [ˈblækleg] noun [countable] a worker who continues to work during a strike or who does the work of someone who is on strike: • Chinese seamen were brought in from outside and used as blacklegs by the employers. see also strikebreaker *… …   Financial and business terms

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  • blackleg — swindler, especially in equestrian events, 1771, from BLACK (Cf. black) + LEG (Cf. leg), but the exact signification is uncertain …   Etymology dictionary

  • blackleg — ► NOUN Brit. derogatory ▪ a person who continues working when fellow workers are on strike …   English terms dictionary

  • blackleg — [blak′leg΄] n. 1. an acute, usually fatal, infectious disease of young cattle and sheep, caused by a bacterium (esp. Clostridium chauvoei) and characterized by swelling and blackening of infected muscle tissue 2. a disease of beets and related… …   English World dictionary

  • Blackleg — The word blackleg has more than one meaning: *An older slang term for a strikebreaker, as in Blackleg Miner ; scab is the word used today. *A slang term for a person who cheats at cards, a cardsharp. *Various animal and plant diseases, including …   Wikipedia

  • blackleg — UK [ˈblækˌleɡ] / US noun [countable] Word forms blackleg : singular blackleg plural blacklegs British showing disapproval someone who continues to work when the other people they work with are on strike …   English dictionary

  • blackleg — 1. noun a) Fatal cattle disease caused by soil borne bacteria. b) A person who takes the place of striking workers. A scab. 2. adjective Relating to a scab worker …   Wiktionary

  • blackleg — n. & v. n. (often attrib.) Brit. derog. a person who fails or declines to take part in industrial action. v.intr. ( legged, legging) act as a blackleg …   Useful english dictionary

  • Blackleg Miner — is a 19th century English folk song, originally from Northumberland (as can be deduced from the dialect in the song and the references in it to the villages of Seghill and Seaton Delaval). It is not entirely clear how old the song is, although it …   Wikipedia

  • Blackleg (disease) — Blackleg, black quarter, quarter evil, quarter ill (Latin: Gangraena emphysematosa ) is an infectious bacterial disease of sheep and cattle, caused by Clostridium chauvoei bacteria. It is found all over the world. A symptom of blackleg is… …   Wikipedia

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