BLACKLEG (blacklegged, blacklegging)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: blacklegged    , blacklegging   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does blackleg mean? 

• BLACKLEG (noun)
  The noun BLACKLEG has 1 sense:

1. someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike

  Familiarity information: BLACKLEG used as a noun is very rare.

• BLACKLEG (verb)
  The verb BLACKLEG has 1 sense:

1. take the place of work of someone on strike

  Familiarity information: BLACKLEG used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BLACKLEG (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

blackleg; rat; scab; strikebreaker

Hypernyms ("blackleg" is a kind of...):

worker (a person who works at a specific occupation)

Derivation:

blackleg (take the place of work of someone on strike)

• BLACKLEG (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they blackleg    ... he / she / it blacklegs   
Past simple: blacklegged   
Past participle: blacklegged   
-ing form: blacklegging   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Take the place of work of someone on strike

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

blackleg; fink; rat; scab

Hypernyms (to "blackleg" is one way to...):

do work; work (be employed)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

blackleg (someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike)

 Context examples 

We will settle our accounts, never fear, though I degrade myself in meeting such a blackleg.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I say again that, if the ring has fallen low, it is not in the main the fault of the men who have done the fighting, but it lies at the door of the vile crew of ring-side parasites and ruffians, who are as far below the honest pugilist as the welsher and the blackleg are below the noble racehorse which serves them as a pretext for their villainies.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)