What does blacklegging mean?
Blacklegging is a chiefly British term denoting the act of working as a blackleg — that is, carrying on working, or taking on work, in place of employees engaged in a strike. A person who does this is called a blackleg or, in more modern American usage, a scab, and the practice itself is often simply called strikebreaking. The word carries heavy negative connotations in trade-union culture, where blacklegging was regarded as a profound betrayal of fellow workers, and those who engaged in it were frequently shunned long after the dispute ended. Beyond industrial relations, blacklegging has occasionally been applied to cheating or underhand conduct in games and other competitive settings, reflecting the broader sense of 'blackleg' as a dishonourable person. Today the term sounds dated and is encountered mainly in accounts of British labour history rather than in everyday speech.
nounThe action or practice of working as a blackleg — that is, continuing to work or taking work in place of employees who are on strike; strikebreaking. By extension, it can refer to any underhand conduct that betrays one's colleagues for personal advantage.
- Working as a strikebreaker; taking or keeping employment while others are on strike.
- Any treacherous or unsporting behaviour that betrays associates, especially in games or business (chiefly British, informal).
"He was ostracised by his union brothers after being accused of blacklegging during the miners' strike."
"Dozens of men were brought in to do the blacklegging after the walkout began."
"In card-playing circles he was notorious for blacklegging whenever the stakes grew high."
In British labour history, 'blackleg' was such a poisonous insult that calling a man one could end friendships and even marriages — and 'blacklegging' named the act itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blacklegging
The word derives from 'blackleg', a British term of abuse dating from the 18th–19th centuries whose exact original motivation is uncertain — theories include reference to dirty-legged workers or to a cheat at cards — applied first to swindlers and later, by the mid-19th century, to strikebreakers. 'Blacklegging' is simply the gerund formed from this noun, following the pattern of other 'black + X' compounds such as blacklist and blackball, which likewise use 'black' to signal disgrace or exclusion.
Related word forms
How blacklegging is actually used
Strongly British in flavour and largely historical, tied to the vocabulary of industrial disputes of the 19th and 20th centuries. Highly pejorative when used of people — 'blackleg' is a serious insult in union contexts. The gerund form is relatively rare compared with the noun 'blackleg'.
Easily confused with blacklegging
Blacklisting means putting someone on an exclusion list to bar them from work or privileges, whereas blacklegging means doing strikebreaker's work yourself.
Bootlegging refers to the illegal making or selling of liquor (or pirated goods), while blacklegging refers to strikebreaking or betraying fellow workers.