blackleg: meaning and definitions

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What is blackleg?

What is blackleg?

  • An infectious, usually fatal bacterial disease of cattle and sometimes of sheep, goats, and swine, caused by Clostridium chauvoei and characterized by gas-containing swellings in the musculature.
  • A bacterial or fungal disease of certain plants, such as the cabbage and potato, that causes the stems to turn black at the soil line.
  • One who cheats at cards; a cardsharp.
  • Chiefly British A worker who is opposed to trade unions; a scab.

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