wildcat

wildcat
wild•cat
[[t]ˈwaɪldˌkæt[/t]] n. pl. -cats, (esp. collectively) -cat
1) mam
a) a small striped Eurasian cat, Felis sylvestris, related to the domestic cat
b) any of several small- to medium-sized wild cats, as the bobcat or ocelot
c) a domestic cat that has become feral
2) a quick-tempered or savage person
3) rai a single locomotive operating without a train, as one switching cars
4) an exploratory well drilled in an effort to discover deposits of oil or gas; a prospect well
5) a reckless or unsound enterprise, business, etc
6) inf
wildcatter 2)
7) gov inf
wildcat strike
8) characterized by or proceeding from unsafe business methods:
wildcat stocks[/ex]
9) of or pertaining to an illicit enterprise or product
10) rai running without control or regulation, as a locomotive, or apart from the regular schedule, as a train
11) to search an area for oil, gas, ore, etc., esp. as an independent prospector
12) to search (an area of unknown or doubtful productivity) for oil, ore, or the like
•
Etymology: 1375–1425

From formal English to slang. 2014.

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  • wildcat — [wīld′kat΄] n. pl. wildcats or wildcat 1. a) any of a large group of fierce, medium sized, undomesticated cats, including the bobcat, Canada lynx, ocelot, serval, and caracal b) a house cat that has escaped from domestication: in this sense,… …   English World dictionary

  • wildcat — A wildcat scheme is rash financially or ethically and will probably fail …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • wildcat — [wajldkat] n. m. ÉTYM. Mil. XXe; mot angl., « chat sauvage ». ❖ ♦ Anglic. Techn. Puits d exploration foré dans une zone pétrolière non encore exploitée …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • wildcat — (n.) early 15c., from WILD (Cf. wild) (adj.) + CAT (Cf. cat). Meaning savage woman is recorded from 1570s; sense of one who forms rash projects is attested from 1812. The adj. in the financial speculative sense is first recorded 1838, Amer.Eng …   Etymology dictionary

  • wildcat — ► NOUN 1) a small Eurasian and African cat, typically grey with black markings and a bushy tail, believed to be the ancestor of the domestic cat. 2) a hot tempered or ferocious person. 3) an exploratory oil well. ► ADJECTIVE 1) (of a strike)… …   English terms dictionary

  • Wildcat — Taxobox name = WildcatMSW3 Wozencraft | pages = 536 537] status = LC trend = down status system = iucn3.1 status ref =IUCN2006|assessors=Cat Specialist Group|year=2002|id=8543|title=Felis silvestris|downloaded=5 May 2006 Database entry includes… …   Wikipedia

  • wildcat — /wuyld kat /, n., pl. wildcats, (esp. collectively) wildcat for 1 4, adj., v., wildcatted, wildcatting. n. 1. any of several North American felines of the genus Lynx. Cf. lynx. 2. a yellowish gray, black striped feline, Felis sylvestris, of… …   Universalium

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