blackjack

Meanings

Plural: blackjacks

Noun

• a common scrubby deciduous tree of central and southeastern United States having dark bark and broad three-lobed (club-shaped) leaves; tends to form dense thickets
• a piece of metal covered by leather with a flexible handle; used for hitting people
• a flag usually bearing a white skull and crossbones on a black background; indicates a pirate ship
• a gambling game using cards; the object is to hold cards having a higher count than those dealt to the banker up to but not exceeding 21
• A common gambling card game in casinos, where the object is to get as close to 21 without going over.
• A hand in the game of blackjack consisting of a face card and an ace.
• A variant of switch where each player is initially dealt the same number of cards, usually seven, and when one player plays a black jack the player whose turn comes next has to pick up that many cards, unless they play a red jack (as this normally cancels a black jack).
• A variant of hearts where the Jack of Spades is the penalty card.
• The flag (i.e., a jack) traditionally flown by pirate ships; popularly thought to be a white skull and crossed bones on a black field (the Jolly Roger).
• A small, flat, blunt, usually leather-covered weapon loaded with heavy material such as lead or ball bearings, intended to inflict a blow to the head that renders the victim unconscious with diminished risk of lasting cranial trauma.
• A tool of leather filled with shot (or similar), resembling the weapon, used for shaping sheet metal.
• Any of several species of weed of genus Bidens, such as Bidens pilosa, in the family Compositae.
• Ellipsis of blackjack oak.
• Any of a series of hard, dark soils, often considered low quality, but suitable for growing certain crops such as cotton.
• Ammonium bituminosulfonate.

Verb

• exert pressure on someone through threats
• To strike with a blackjack or similar weapon.

Synonyms

black flag, blackjack oak, blackmail, cosh, jack oak, Jolly Roger, pirate flag, pontoon, pressure, Quercus marilandica, sap, twenty-one, vingt-et-un

Related Words

baccarat, bludgeon, cosh, pontoon, truncheon, twenty-one