blackleg

Meanings

Plural: blacklegs

Noun

• someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike
• A fatal cattle disease caused by the soil-borne bacterium Clostridium chauvoei; symptomatic anthrax.
• A disease of potato crops caused by pectolytic bacteria, characterized by blackening and decay of the lower stem portion.
• A person who cheats in a game; a cheater, especially a dishonest bookmaker.
• A person who takes the place of striking workers.

Verb

• take the place of work of someone on strike
• To continue working whilst fellow workers strike.

Synonyms

blacklegger, fink, rat, scab, scalie, strikebreaker