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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Black cat

Black \Black\ (bl[a^]k), a. [OE. blak, AS. bl[ae]c; akin to Icel. blakkr dark, swarthy, Sw. bl["a]ck ink, Dan. bl[ae]k, OHG. blach, LG. & D. blaken to burn with a black smoke. Not akin to AS. bl[=a]c, E. bleak pallid. [root]98.]

  1. Destitute of light, or incapable of reflecting it; of the color of soot or coal; of the darkest or a very dark color, the opposite of white; characterized by such a color; as, black cloth; black hair or eyes.

    O night, with hue so black!
    --Shak.

  2. In a less literal sense: Enveloped or shrouded in darkness; very dark or gloomy; as, a black night; the heavens black with clouds.

    I spy a black, suspicious, threatening cloud.
    --Shak.

  3. Fig.: Dismal, gloomy, or forbidding, like darkness; destitute of moral light or goodness; atrociously wicked; cruel; mournful; calamitous; horrible. ``This day's black fate.'' ``Black villainy.'' ``Arise, black vengeance.'' ``Black day.'' ``Black despair.''
    --Shak.

  4. Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen; foreboding; as, to regard one with black looks.

    Note: Black is often used in self-explaining compound words; as, black-eyed, black-faced, black-haired, black-visaged.

    Black act, the English statute 9 George I, which makes it a felony to appear armed in any park or warren, etc., or to hunt or steal deer, etc., with the face blackened or disguised. Subsequent acts inflicting heavy penalties for malicious injuries to cattle and machinery have been called black acts.

    Black angel (Zo["o]l.), a fish of the West Indies and Florida ( Holacanthus tricolor), with the head and tail yellow, and the middle of the body black.

    Black antimony (Chem.), the black sulphide of antimony, Sb2S3, used in pyrotechnics, etc.

    Black bear (Zo["o]l.), the common American bear ( Ursus Americanus).

    Black beast. See B[^e]te noire.

    Black beetle (Zo["o]l.), the common large cockroach ( Blatta orientalis).

    Black bonnet (Zo["o]l.), the black-headed bunting ( Embriza Sch[oe]niclus) of Europe.

    Black canker, a disease in turnips and other crops, produced by a species of caterpillar.

    Black cat (Zo["o]l.), the fisher, a quadruped of North America allied to the sable, but larger. See Fisher.

    Black cattle, any bovine cattle reared for slaughter, in distinction from dairy cattle. [Eng.]

    Black cherry. See under Cherry.

    Black cockatoo (Zo["o]l.), the palm cockatoo. See Cockatoo.

    Black copper. Same as Melaconite.

    Black currant. (Bot.) See Currant.

    Black diamond. (Min.) See Carbonado.

    Black draught (Med.), a cathartic medicine, composed of senna and magnesia.

    Black drop (Med.), vinegar of opium; a narcotic preparation consisting essentially of a solution of opium in vinegar.

    Black earth, mold; earth of a dark color.
    --Woodward.

    Black flag, the flag of a pirate, often bearing in white a skull and crossbones; a signal of defiance.

    Black flea (Zo["o]l.), a flea beetle ( Haltica nemorum) injurious to turnips.

    Black flux, a mixture of carbonate of potash and charcoal, obtained by deflagrating tartar with half its weight of niter.
    --Brande & C.

    Black Forest [a translation of G. Schwarzwald], a forest in Baden and W["u]rtemburg, in Germany; a part of the ancient Hercynian forest.

    Black game, or Black grouse. (Zo["o]l.) See Blackcock, Grouse, and Heath grouse.

    Black grass (Bot.), a grasslike rush of the species Juncus Gerardi, growing on salt marshes, and making good hay.

    Black gum (Bot.), an American tree, the tupelo or pepperidge. See Tupelo.

    Black Hamburg (grape) (Bot.), a sweet and juicy variety of dark purple or ``black'' grape.

    Black horse (Zo["o]l.), a fish of the Mississippi valley ( Cycleptus elongatus), of the sucker family; the Missouri sucker.

    Black lemur (Zo["o]l.), the Lemurniger of Madagascar; the acoumbo of the natives.

    Black list, a list of persons who are for some reason thought deserving of censure or punishment; -- esp. a list of persons stigmatized as insolvent or untrustworthy, made for the protection of tradesmen or employers. See Blacklist, v. t.

    Black manganese (Chem.), the black oxide of manganese, MnO2.

    Black Maria, the close wagon in which prisoners are carried to or from jail.

    Black martin (Zo["o]l.), the chimney swift. See Swift.

    Black moss (Bot.), the common so-called long moss of the southern United States. See Tillandsia.

    Black oak. See under Oak.

    Black ocher. See Wad.

    Black pigment, a very fine, light carbonaceous substance, or lampblack, prepared chiefly for the manufacture of printers' ink. It is obtained by burning common coal tar.

    Black plate, sheet iron before it is tinned.
    --Knight.

    Black quarter, malignant anthrax with engorgement of a shoulder or quarter, etc., as of an ox.

    Black rat (Zo["o]l.), one of the species of rats ( Mus rattus), commonly infesting houses.

    Black rent. See Blackmail, n., 3.

    Black rust, a disease of wheat, in which a black, moist matter is deposited in the fissures of the grain.

    Black sheep, one in a family or company who is unlike the rest, and makes trouble.

    Black silver. (Min.) See under Silver.

    Black and tan, black mixed or spotted with tan color or reddish brown; -- used in describing certain breeds of dogs.

    Black tea. See under Tea.

    Black tin (Mining), tin ore (cassiterite), when dressed, stamped and washed, ready for smelting. It is in the form of a black powder, like fine sand.
    --Knight.

    Black walnut. See under Walnut.

    Black warrior (Zo["o]l.), an American hawk ( Buteo Harlani).

    Syn: Dark; murky; pitchy; inky; somber; dusky; gloomy; swart; Cimmerian; ebon; atrocious.

Black cat

cat \cat\ (k[a^]t), n. [AS. cat; akin to D. & Dan. kat, Sw. katt, Icel. k["o]ttr, G. katze, kater, Ir. cat, W. cath, Armor. kaz, LL. catus, Bisc. catua, NGr. ga`ta, ga`tos, Russ. & Pol. kot, Turk. kedi, Ar. qitt; of unknown origin. Cf. Kitten.]

  1. (Zo["o]l.) Any animal belonging to the natural family Felidae, and in particular to the various species of the genera Felis, Panthera, and Lynx. The domestic cat is Felis domestica. The European wild cat ( Felis catus) is much larger than the domestic cat. In the United States the name wild cat is commonly applied to the bay lynx ( Lynx rufus). The larger felines, such as the lion, tiger, leopard, and cougar, are often referred to as cats, and sometimes as big cats. See Wild cat, and Tiger cat.

    Note: The domestic cat includes many varieties named from their place of origin or from some peculiarity; as, the Angora cat; the Maltese cat; the Manx cat; the Siamese cat.

    Laying aside their often rancorous debate over how best to preserve the Florida panther, state and federal wildlife officials, environmentalists, and independent scientists endorsed the proposal, and in 1995 the eight cats [female Texas cougars] were brought from Texas and released. . . . Uprooted from the arid hills of West Texas, three of the imports have died, but the remaining five adapted to swamp life and have each given birth to at least one litter of kittens.
    --Mark Derr (N. Y. Times, Nov. 2, 1999, Science Times p. F2).

    Note: The word cat is also used to designate other animals, from some fancied resemblance; as, civet cat, fisher cat, catbird, catfish shark, sea cat.

  2. (Naut.)

    1. A strong vessel with a narrow stern, projecting quarters, and deep waist. It is employed in the coal and timber trade.

    2. A strong tackle used to draw an anchor up to the cathead of a ship.
      --Totten.

  3. A double tripod (for holding a plate, etc.), having six feet, of which three rest on the ground, in whatever position it is placed.

  4. An old game; specifically:

    1. The game of tipcat and the implement with which it is played. See Tipcat.

    2. A game of ball, called, according to the number of batters, one old cat, two old cat, etc.

  5. same as cat o' nine tails; as, British sailors feared the cat.

  6. A catamaran.

    Angora cat, blind cat, See under Angora, Blind.

    Black cat the fisher. See under Black.

    Cat and dog, like a cat and dog; quarrelsome; inharmonious. ``I am sure we have lived a cat and dog life of it.''
    --Coleridge.

    Cat block (Naut.), a heavy iron-strapped block with a large hook, part of the tackle used in drawing an anchor up to the cathead.

    Cat hook (Naut.), a strong hook attached to a cat block.

    Cat nap, a very short sleep. [Colloq.]

    Cat o' nine tails, an instrument of punishment consisting of nine pieces of knotted line or cord fastened to a handle; -- formerly used to flog offenders on the bare back.

    Cat's cradle, game played, esp. by children, with a string looped on the fingers so, as to resemble small cradle. The string is transferred from the fingers of one to those of another, at each transfer with a change of form. See Cratch, Cratch cradle.

    To bell the cat, to perform a very dangerous or very difficult task; -- taken metaphorically from a fable about a mouse who proposes to put a bell on a cat, so as to be able to hear the cat coming.

    To let the cat out of the bag, to tell a secret, carelessly or willfully. [Colloq.]

    Bush cat, the serval. See Serval.

Wiktionary
black cat

n. 1 (context literally English) A cat with black fur. 2 A fisher, North American marten that has thick brown fur (''Martes pennanti''). vb. (context nautical slang English) To do better than another in some respect.

WordNet
black cat

n. large dark brown North American arboreal carnivorous mammal [syn: fisher, pekan, fisher cat, Martes pennanti]

Wikipedia
Black cat (disambiguation)

A black cat is a cat with black fur.

Black Cat(s) or The Black Cat(s) may also refer to:

Black cat

A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay breed is exclusively black. All-black fur pigmentation is slightly more prevalent in male cats than female cats. Their high melanin pigment content causes most black cats to have yellow (golden) eyes ( irises).

Black Cat (wrestler)

Victor Mar Manuel (October 17, 1954 – January 28, 2006) was a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Black Cat. He was best known for his work in Japan.

Black Cat (Harvey Comics)

The Black Cat is a comic book adventure heroine published by Harvey Comics from 1941 to 1951. Harvey also published reprints of the character in both the mid-1950s and the early 1960s. The character's creation is claimed by the Harvey family to have originated with publisher Alfred Harvey, but there is no corroborating evidence for this. The Black Cat debuted in Pocket Comics #1 (Aug. 1941), an experimental digest-sized comic book published by Harvey., and was illustrated by artist Al Gabrielle. The character was ranked 41st in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.

Black Cat (2007 film)

Black Cat is a 2007 Indian Malayalam action film written and directed by Vinayan and starring Suresh Gopi and Meena.

Black Cat (manga)

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from July 2000 to June 2004, with the chapters collected into twenty tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. The story centers on a man named Train Heartnet who withdrew from an elite group of assassins called the Chronos Numbers to become a bounty hunter.

The series was adapted into a twenty-four episode anime series by Gonzo studio, which originally aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) channel from October 2005 to March 2006. The manga was licensed for English-language publication in North America by Viz Media and by Madman Entertainment in Australasia. Funimation Entertainment licensed the anime for an English dub and North American broadcast on their own Funimation Channel, with Madman releasing it in Australasia and MVM Films in the United Kingdom.

In Japan, the Black Cat manga sold over 12 million copies, while in North America several volumes have been featured in weekly top ten lists of best-selling manga. The anime has also been popular in both Japan and North America. Manga and anime critics had praise for Black Cat's action, differing views on the artwork and characters, and mainly negative comments for its plot which has been criticized for having common shōnen manga elements.

Black Cat (comics)

The Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #194 (July 1979).

Felicia Hardy is the daughter of a world-renowned cat burglar. After suffering a traumatic event as a college freshman, she trained herself in various fighting styles and acrobatics and, after deciding to follow in her father's footsteps, adopted her costumed identity as the Black Cat. She was ranked 27th in Comics Buyer's Guide's 100 Sexiest Women in Comics list.

Felicia Hardy made her cinematic debut as Harry Osborn's assistant in the 2014 film The Amazing Spider-Man 2, portrayed by actress Felicity Jones.

Black Cat (Washington, D.C. nightclub)

The Black Cat is a nightclub in Washington, D.C., located on 14th Street Northwest in the Shaw/ U Street neighborhood. The club was founded in 1993 by former Gray Matter drummer Dante Ferrando, along with a group of investors (including D.C. area native and Nirvana and future Foo Fighters drummer Dave Grohl) and quickly established itself as a venue for independent music. While the Black Cat is most known for its support of indie rock, featured musical acts include metal, punk, and electronic, as well as DJ/dance nights.

The Black Cat's "Mainstage" is on the second floor and has a capacity of approximately 700. Lesser known acts play on the "Backstage", a smaller area on the first floor that holds approximately 200 people. The first floor of the club also contains a no-cover bar/lounge called the "Red Room", and the "Food For Thought" cafe. Serving primarily vegetarian food, along with some meat and vegan dishes, "Food For Thought" is named for the Dupont Circle vegetarian restaurant – owned by Ferrando's father Bob Ferrando – that operated from 1973 to 1999.

In 2001, the venue moved three doors south, from 1831 to 1811 14th Street.

The building that the Black Cat now operates in used to be a dance club called The Cage, and before that, Mattos Paints.

The Black Cat is served by the U Street station on the Washington Metro.

Black Cat (song)

"Black Cat" is a song by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released as the fifth single from her fourth studio album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814. It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson with Jellybean Johnson. In a departure from her standard of industrial-based dance-pop, "Black Cat" is a pastiche of hard rock and heavy metal with influences of punk, dance-rock, and glam metal. Its lyrics speak of substance abuse and gang violence. It was the final song recorded for the album, after Jackson composed its main riff when desiring a rock song to complete the record.

"Black Cat" was well received among critics, who praised Jackson's "maximum advantage" vocals and her seamless foray into the hard rock genre. It was a commercial success, reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 as well as the top ten in the charts in South Africa, Canada, Norway, and Australia, among other countries. In the United Kingdom it was a top-twenty hit, peaking at number fifteen. It was certified gold in the United States and Australia.

Its music video, directed by Wayne Isham, was filmed during Jackson's Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990. It used an "in-concert" theme, splicing Jackson with images of a black panther. Jackson performed "Black Cat" at the MTV Video Music Awards, in a "fiery rendition" of the song in which she conveyed "feline" choreography, and also on the Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990, which drew media attention for its usage of illusionary magic, concluding with Jackson forced into a cage before transformed into a live panther.

"Black Cat" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, making her the only artist in history to receive nominations spanning five genres. It also earned Jackson a BMI Pop Award for Most Played Song. "Black Cat" has been cited as an influence by numerous artists and it has been covered by such artists as Warmen, Britney Spears, and Nanne Grönvall.

Black Cat (album)

Black Cat is the seventh studio album by American rock band Never Shout Never, featuring 10 tracks. It was released on August 7, 2015 through Warner Bros. Records

Black Cat (1991 film)

Black Cat is a 1991 Hong Kong action film directed and produced by Stephen Shin. The film stars Jade Leung as Catherine who accidentally kills a truck driver. After escaping trial, she is captured by medics who insert a "Black Cat" chip into her brain putting her under the complete control of the American CIA. The CIA makes her into a new CIA agent known as Erica.

Director Stephen Shin originally wanted the film to be a straight remake of Luc Besson's film Nikita but couldn't after Disney purchased the rights for an American remake. Critics compared the film unfavorably to Nikita. Jade Leung won the award for Best Newcomer at the 11th Hong Kong Film Awards for her role in the film. A sequel titled Black Cat 2: The Assassination of President Yeltsen was released in 1992.

Black Cat (Zucchero album)

Black Cat is the twelfth studio album by the Italian blues rock singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari, released on 29 April 2016. It's his first full-length studio album in six years, after Chocabeck in 2010.

Usage examples of "black cat".

One tuna-salad sandwich, shared with a black cat named Lucifer, hadn't satisfied the inner woman.

The front door stood open, and planted squarely in the center of the walk, looking very ornamental and fully conscious of it, was the big black cat.

The only ones left were a stout, bespectacled female who was scribbling madly on a pad of lined paper, and the little old woman crouching in her chair like a cornered black cat.

As she sat in her charming book-lined study in her lovely old Victorian mansion, with a large black cat on her lap, she read the reviews with a smile only a few degrees less bright than the one with which she had read the results of the trial that found Booton Stokes guilty of murder in the first degree.