Part 673

Black" hole` (&?;). A dungeon or dark cell in a prison; a military lock-up or guardroom; -- now commonly with allusion to the cell (the Black Hole) in a fort at Calcutta, into which 146 English prisoners were thrust by the nabob Suraja Dowla on the night of June 20, 17656, and in which 123 of the prisoners died before morning from lack of air.

A discipline of unlimited autocracy, upheld by rods, and ferules, and the black hole. H. Spencer.

Black"ing, n. 1. Any preparation for making things black; esp. one for giving a black luster to boots and shoes, or to stoves.

2. The act or process of making black.

Black"ish, a. Somewhat black.

Black"-jack`, n. 1. (Min.) A name given by English miners to sphalerite, or zinc blende; -- called also false galena. See Blende.

2. Caramel or burnt sugar, used to color wines, spirits, ground coffee, etc.

3. A large leather vessel for beer, etc. [Obs.]

4. (Bot.) The Quercus nigra, or barren oak.

5. The ensign of a pirate.

Black` lead" (&?;). Plumbago; graphite. It leaves a blackish mark somewhat like lead. See Graphite.

Black`lead", v. t. To coat or to polish with black lead.

Black"leg` (&?;), n. 1. A notorious gambler. [Colloq.]

2. A disease among calves and sheep, characterized by a settling of gelatinous matter in the legs, and sometimes in the neck. [Eng.]

Black" let`ter (&?;). The old English or Gothic letter, in which the Early English manuscripts were written, and the first English books were printed. It was conspicuous for its blackness. See Type.

Black"-let`ter, a. 1. Written or printed in black letter; as, a black-letter manuscript or book.

2. Given to the study of books in black letter; that is, of old books; out of date.

Kemble, a black-letter man! J. Boaden.

3. Of or pertaining to the days in the calendar not marked with red letters as saints' days. Hence: Unlucky; inauspicious.

Black"list` (&?;), v. t. To put in a black list as deserving of suspicion, censure, or punishment; esp. to put in a list of persons stigmatized as insolvent or untrustworthy, -- as tradesmen and employers do for mutual protection; as, to blacklist a workman who has been discharged. See Black list, under Black, a.

If you blacklist us, we will boycott you. John Swinton.

Black"ly, adv. In a black manner; darkly, in color; gloomily; threateningly; atrociously. "Deeds so blackly grim and horrid." Feltham.

Black"mail` (&?;), n. [Black + mail a piece of money.] 1. A certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage. Sir W. Scott.

2. Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.

3. (Eng. Law) Black rent, or rent paid in corn, flesh, or the lowest coin, a opposed to "white rent", which paid in silver.

To levy blackmail, to extort money by threats, as of injury to one's reputation.

Black"mail`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blackmailed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Blackmailing.] To extort money from by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, as injury to reputation, distress of mind, etc.; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud. [U. S.]

Black"mail`er (&?;), n. One who extorts, or endeavors to extort, money, by black mailing.