Black a.
 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.”
 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 Zool., 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 Zool., the common American bear (Ursus Americanus).
 Black beast. See Bête noire.
 Black beetle Zool., the common large cockroach (Blatta orientalis).
 Black bonnet Zool., the black-headed bunting (Embriza Schœniclus) of Europe.
 Black canker, a disease in turnips and other crops, produced by a species of caterpillar.
 Black cat Zool., 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 Zool., 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 Zool., 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 Würtemburg, in Germany; a part of the ancient Hercynian forest.
 Black game, or Black grouse. Zool. 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 Zool., a fish of the Mississippi valley (Cycleptus elongatus), of the sucker family; the Missouri sucker.
 Black lemur Zool., 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 Zool., 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 Zool., 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 Zool., an American hawk (Buteo Harlani).
 Syn: -- Dark; murky; pitchy; inky; somber; dusky; gloomy; swart; Cimmerian; ebon; atrocious.


 Flag, n.
 1. That which flags or hangs down loosely.
 2. A cloth usually bearing a device or devices and used to indicate nationality, party, etc., or to give or ask information; -- commonly attached to a staff to be waved by the wind; a standard; a banner; an ensign; the colors; as, the national flag; a military or a naval flag.
 3. Zool. (a) A group of feathers on the lower part of the legs of certain hawks, owls, etc. (b) A group of elongated wing feathers in certain hawks. (c) The bushy tail of a dog, as of a setter.
 4. Zool. One of the wing feathers next the body of a bird; -- called also flag feather.
 Black flag. See under Black.
 Flag captain, Flag leutenant, etc., special officers attached to the flagship, as aids to the flag officer.
 Flag officer, the commander of a fleet or squadron; an admiral, or commodore.
 Flag of truse, a white flag carried or displayed to an enemy, as an invitation to conference, or for the purpose of making some communication not hostile.
 Flag share, the flag officer's share of prize money.
 Flag station Railroad, a station at which trains do not stop unless signaled to do so, by a flag hung out or waved.
 National flag, a flag of a particular country, on which some national emblem or device, is emblazoned.
 Red flag, a flag of a red color, displayed as a signal of danger or token of defiance; the emblem of anarchists.
 To dip, the flag, to mlower it and quickly restore it to its place; -- done as a mark of respect.
 To hang out the white flag, to ask truce or quarter, or, in some cases, to manifest a friendly design by exhibiting a white flag.
 To hang the flag half-mast high or To hang the flag half-staff or To hang the flag at half-staff, to raise it only half way to the mast or staff, as a token or sign of mourning.
 To strike the flag or To lower the flag, to haul it down, in token of respect, submission, or, in an engagement, of surrender.
 Yellow flag, the quarantine flag of all nations; also carried at a vessel's fore, to denote that an infectious disease is on board.


 black flag
      n : a black flag bearing a white skull and crossbones; indicates
          a pirate ship [syn: pirate flag, Jolly Roger]