blackleg
pronunciation
How to pronounce blackleg in British English:
UK [ˈblækleg]
How to pronounce blackleg in American English:
US [ˈblækˌlɛɡ]
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- Noun:
- someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike
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- Verb:
- take the place of work of someone on strike
Word Origin
- blackleg (n.)
- "swindler," especially in equestrian events, 1771, from black (adj.) + leg (n.), but the exact signification is uncertain.
Example
- 1. Even more obscure than blackguard is blackleg " scab , non-unionist . "
- 2. Worker who refuses to join a strike or a trade union , or who takes the place of a striker ; blackleg .
- 3. In it is a small pastry brush with which berger gently wipes the top of every main course whether it is the more expensive sea bass with fennel , the blackleg chicken with morels or the sausages served with mash .
- 4. This meaning is an american creation , but blackleg " a turf swindler ; also , a swindler in other species of gambling " occurred in england as early as 1774 .