This week’s theme
Words to describe people

This week’s words
longhair
blackleg
double-dome
white-livered
dittohead

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(BLAK-leg)

MEANING:

noun:
1. One who works while other workers are on strike.
2. A swindler, especially in games such as gambling.
3. One of various diseases of plants or cattle.

ETYMOLOGY:

It’s unclear how the term came to be employed for a strikebreaker. Earliest documented use: 1722.

USAGE:

“Derek McGrath never crossed any picket line but he was regarded as a blackleg nonetheless.”
Two Guilty Parties as U-21 Final Row Rages; Irish Examiner (Cork, Ireland); May 5, 2015.

See more usage examples of blackleg in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: