A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

black eye • blackeye
black eye —
1
. a darkening of the skin about the eye resulting
from a bruise: I thought they’d have a row. Hadn’t Michael a
black eye? 2. a severe blow or rebuff: I hope the Pension Com-
mittee will give a black eye to every bill of that kind.
blackeye —a sprawling herb (Vigua sinensis) cultivated for
forage and green manure: Blackeye crop is allowed to fully
mature, then they are cut and dried to be packaged.
black hole • black hole of Calcutta
black hole —said of a situation when money or resource dis-
appear and are not expected to be recovered (originally of a re-
gion of space from which nothing can escape, even light): What
steps are industrial companies taking to dig their way out this
financial black hole?
black hole of Calcutta —a place that is small, dark, and un-
comfortable: Somebody finally decided to do something for
the poor souls we lock up in a black hole of Calcutta.
black ivory • ivory black
black ivory —(hist.) Black African slaves viewed as a com-
modity: Help them to make money otherwise than by dealing
in black ivory, and we shall see the slave trade extirpated.
ivory black —a black pigment from calcined ivory: Ivory
black is ivory or bones thoroughly burnt, and afterwards
ground.
black-leg • Blackfoot
black-leg —
1
. (UK coll.) a non-union workman; a strike-
breaker: The police were used to protect the blacklegs, as those
are called who work outside the Union movement. 2. (coll.) a
professional gambler, especially a cheating one: You see no-
blemen and black-legs bawling and betting in the Cockpit. 3.
a disease in cattle, caused by the fungus Leptosphaeria macu-
lans, which affects the legs: A cattle disease, known as blackleg,
is stated to have killed a number of cattle in the district.