black cat

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Many cultures have superstitions about black cats, often ascribing either "good luck" or "bad luck" to them.

black cat (plural black cats)

1. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see black,‎ cat.
2. A fisher, North American marten that has thick brown fur (Martes pennanti).

black cat (third-person singular simple present black-cats, present participle black-catting, simple past and past participle black-catted)

1. (nautical slang) To do better than another in some respect. To one up.

   • From a web page archived by Britain's National Archives: The team name derives from the Lynx wildcat of 702 Naval Air Squadron’s badge and also the naval slang of “Black Catting” which implies having done or owned something better than anyone else.