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blackball

/ˈblækbɔːl/

noun

Meaning

  • A rejection; a vote against admitting someone.

  • A black ball used to indicate such a negative vote.

    "Regardless how many other people may have voted to approve a candidate for membership, a single blackball will reject the candidate."

  • A kind of large black sweet; a niggerball.

  • A substance for blacking shoes, boots, etc. or for taking impressions of engraved work.

verb

Meaning

  • To vote against, especially in an exclusive organization.

    "If you're not from a moneyed, well-connected family, you can count on getting blackballed from the fraternity."

  • To ostracize.

Synonyms

blacklist,
send to Coventry