What is "wildcat"

undomesticated cat, early 14c. (late 12c. as a surname), from wild (adj.) + cat (n.). Meaning "savage woman" is recorded from 1570s; sense of "one who forms rash projects" is attested from 1812. The adjective in the financial speculative sense is first recorded 1838, American English.

1. 1 (context usually pejorative) Of or concerning businesses operating outside standard or legitimate practice, ''especially:'' 2 # (context pejorative dated) Of or concerning irresponsible banks or banking, (context: particularly) small, independent operations. 3 # Of or concerning oil exploration in new areas, (context: particularly) small, independent operations. 4 # Of or concerning actions undertaken by workers without approval or in defiance of the formal leadership of their trade unions. 5 (context: firearms) Of or concerning customized or hand-made cartridges. 6 unauthorized by the proper authorities. n. 1 A cat that lives in the wilderness, ''specifically'' 2 # (context: UK) ''Felis silvestris'', a common small Old World wild cat somewhat larger than a house cat. 3 # (context: US) A bobcat (''Lynx rufus'') or other similar New World species of lynx. 4 # Any feral cat. 5 # (context: uncommon) (altspelling wild cat English), any undomesticated felid, as tigers or lions. 6 (lb en figurative) A person who acts like a wildcat, (context: usually) a violent and easily-angered person or a sexually vigorous one. 7 (lb en American football) An offense formation with an unbalanced offensive line and a snap directly to the running back rather than the quarterback. 8 (lb en nautical) A wheel that can be adjusted so as to revolve either with or on the shaft of a capstan. 9 (lb en firearms) (short for wildcat cartridge nodot=1 English), a customized or hand-made cartridge. 10 (lb en uncommon) (short for wildcat strike nodot=1 English), a strike undertaken without authorization from the relevant trade union. 11 (lb en obsolete) (short for wildcat money nodot=1 English), notes issued by a wildcat bank. v

2. To drill for oil in an area where no oil has been found before.

1. adj. outside the bounds of legitimate or ethical business practices; "wildcat currency issued by irresponsible banks"; "wildcat stock speculation"; "a wildcat airline"; "wildcat life insurance schemes"

2. without official authorization; "an unauthorized strike"; "wildcat work stoppage" [syn: unauthorized, unauthorised]

3. (of a mine or oil well) drilled speculatively in an area not known to be productive; "drilling there would be strictly a wildcat operation"; "a wildcat mine"; "wildcat drilling"; "wildcat wells"

4. n. an exploratory oil well drilled in land not known to be an oil field [syn: wildcat well]

5. a cruelly rapacious person [syn: beast, wolf, savage, brute]

6. any small or medium-sized cat resembling the domestic cat and living in the wild

7. [also: wildcatting, wildcatted]

The wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a small cat native to most of Africa, Europe, and Southwest and Central Asia into India, western China, and Mongolia. Because of its wide range it is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2002. However, crossbreeding of wildcat and domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) occurs in particular in Europe and is considered a potential threat for the preservation of the wild species.

The wildcat shows a high degree of geographic variation. Whereas the Asiatic wildcat is spotted, the African wildcat is faintly striped, has short sandy-grey fur, banded legs, red-backed ears and a tapering tail. The European wildcat is striped, has long fur and a bushy tail with a rounded tip, and is larger than a domestic cat.

The wildcat is the ancestor of the domestic cat. Genetic, morphological and archaeological evidence suggests that domestication of Old-World wildcats began approximately 7500 years BCE in the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East. The association of wildcats with humans appears to have developed along with the growth of agricultural villages during the Neolithic Revolution, with wildcats preying on rodents that infested the grain stores of early farmers.

Until 2007, twenty-two subspecies of wildcat were recognised. Since publication of results of a phylogeographical analysis, only five subspecific groups have been suggested, including the Chinese mountain cat.

The wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a small cat native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.

Wildcat or wild cat may also refer to:

Yolanda Montez is a fictional superheroine in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC universe. Her first appearance was in Infinity Inc. # 12 (March 1985). She was created by Roy Thomas and Todd McFarlane. __TOC__

Wildcat is the name of several fictional characters, all DC Comics superheroes, the first and most famous being Theodore "Ted" Grant, a long-time member of the Justice Society of America (JSA). A world-class heavyweight boxer, Grant became entangled inadvertently in the criminal underworld and developed a costumed identity to clear his name.

Modern depictions of Wildcat show him to be a rowdy, tough guy with a streak of male chauvinism, leading to frequent clashes with the relatively progressive Power Girl, as well as exploring some of the character's insecurities. Meanwhile, a magical "nine lives" spell has explained his vitality at an old age. Like many older JSA members, he has been a mentor to younger heroes, particularly the second Black Canary.

Other characters have taken Grant's name and identity, including his goddaughter Yolanda Montez, who served as a temporary replacement for him, and his son Thomas "Tom" Bronson, a metahuman werecat who is tutored by him as a second Wildcat and a JSA member in late-2000's stories.

WildCat was a steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio that closed at the end of the 2011 season. On May 2, 2012 Cedar Point management announced that the WildCat would be removed to allow for expansion of the Celebration Plaza, citing that the coaster was reaching the end of its useful life. WildCat was disassembled prior to opening day 2012 and scrapped.

WildCat (Roller Coaster) may refer to:

• WildCat (Cedar Point), a roller coaster operated 1979 to 2011 at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio which was replaced by Luminosity — Ignite the Night!
• Wildcat, a roller coaster operated 1970 to 1978 at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, one of Cedar Point's former attractions
• Wildcat (Frontier City), a wooden roller coaster at Frontier City in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Wildcat (Lake Compounce), a wooden roller coaster ride in Bristol, Connecticut
• Wildcat (Schwarzkopf), a model series of steel roller coasters designed and built by Anton Schwarzkopf
• Wild Cat (Hersheypark), a wooden roller coaster that once operated from 1923-1945 in Hersheypark, Pennsylvania
  • Wildcat (Hersheypark), the current wooden roller coaster named Wildcat in Hershey, Pennsylvania

Wildcat is a wooden roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The coaster opened on May 26, 1996, as the anchor attraction of the Midway America section of the park. Wildcat was the first coaster built by Great Coasters International, and initially ran with trains built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company until 2007 when they were replaced with GCI's Millennium Flyer trains.

Wildcat is the name of a wooden roller coaster located at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. It was built in 1927 and is the park's centerpiece. It is one of the world's oldest operating roller coasters (in operation at the same location). With a first drop of only 73 feet, it's not too intense making it popular with younger guests. The entire structure was rebuilt with new wood in 1985, and the last bunny hills were retracked in 2004. The Wildcat went down for refurbishment on September 17, 2006 and reopened for the 2007 operating season. During its refurbishment, the brake runs were completely removed and rebuilt with new magnetic brakes. The station also received air gates in the queue line and individual seat belts were added to each seat. The ride was retracked by Martin & Vleminckx. The Wildcat's trains were built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. Before the Wildcat was built, the Green Dragon Coaster used to stand in its place. It bears a striking resemblance to the now-defunct Wildcat roller coaster that used to reside at Elitch Gardens in Denver.

Wildcat is a 1942 American drama film directed by Frank McDonald and written by Richard Murphy and Maxwell Shane. The film stars Richard Arlen, Arline Judge, William Frawley, Buster Crabbe, Arthur Hunnicutt, Elisha Cook, Jr. and Ralph Sanford. The film was released on September 3, 1942, by Paramount Pictures.

Wildcat is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and music by Cy Coleman.

The original production opened on Broadway in 1960, starring a 48-year-old Lucille Ball in her only Broadway show.

The show introduced the song Hey, Look Me Over. Ball and co-star Paula Stewart performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show and it was subsequently recorded and/or performed by, among others, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Short, Gene Krupa, Mel Tormé, Jerry Vale, Julie Wilson and Lucie Arnaz.

"Wildcat" is an early short story by the American author Flannery O'Connor. It is one of the six stories included in O'Connor's 1947 master's thesis The Geranium: A Collection of Short Stories and was published posthumously in The North American Review in 1970. It later appeared in the 1971 collection The Complete Stories.

In this story, the main character "Old Gabriel," a blind, elderly African American man, is afraid of a wildcat, which he can supposedly smell. He remembers a story from his childhood of a wildcat killing someone he knew, and does not want to be left alone for fear that it will attack him. The story portrays Gabriel's struggles with his impending death.